Masquerade
by Tricia Belle
Summary: JONAS. Horace Mantis is holding a masked dance. Since you don't need a date, this is no problem for Macy. But what happens when she encounters a boy on the dance floor? Of course, they are both masked, hiding each of their identities.
1. Chapter One

**Masquerade**

Chapter One

Macy was greeted by a huge banner as she entered the hallowed halls of Horace Mantis Academy. She sighed as she read the bold words written on it with a very pretty design as a boarder. The banner read:

NEXT SATURDAY, HORACE MANTIS WILL BE HOLDING A MASKED DANCE FOR ALL STUDENTS.

Macy didn't like going to dances, but mostly because she hardly has a date. And Stella would go with the guy she was with at the moment. Macy knew this was another dance she'd be missing, but her mood lightened up just a bit, when she read the next line on the banner. It wasn't as big as the first line, so she didn't notice it at first.

No date required. Just masks. Hope to see you Mantises there!

Ah, well, she'll just have to think about this. She'd have a mask covering her face, so no one would notice her. And she didn't need to ask a boy out. This was Macy's type of dance. She loved to dance, as much as she loved singing. She loved music in general. Now does this explain her love of JONAS?

She wandered the halls and saw Stella with the brothers by their lockers. To save Macy embarrassment, she just went to her locker directly, debating whether or not she'll attend the dance. As she finished getting the things she needed for her first few classes, Stella approached her. Macy was glad that none of the brothers joined Stella.

"Macy!" Stella greeted in a perky voice. Someone was sure in a good mood.

"Stella!" Macy replied, shutting her locker so she could see her best friend better.

"So, are you going?" Stella asked all of a sudden.

"Going… where?" Macy seemed lost.

"The masquerade, silly." Knowing Stella, she was probably only interested in designing the clothes and masks. Then again, she did like to dance as well, so it could be both reasons.

"I'm thinking about it," Macy shrugged, before putting her backpack on.

"Let me know if you are, so I can design you a Stella original," Stella smiled. Of course. Stella and fashion was like… Kevin and musical animals. You know how he is with those trumpet playing otters.

"Ooh!" Macy's face lit up. "Can you make the dress red and the mask gold?"

"Yeah, sure!" Stella replied happily, and then gasped. "Does this mean you're going to the dance?!" Darn, Macy fell for it.

She flashed an assuring smile, "For now, it's a _maybe_."

"Great!" Stella squeaked. "And yes, red and gold will be the perfect colors. It seems mysterious, yet fun."

"But please, Stella, don't waste your time on making the dress for me. I know you want to look stunning yourself."

"Oh, you're right. I have to get custom suits made for the brothers as well. One thing's for sure, though, I need to work hard on the masks, since they have to match and I've never made them before. I have to go do some research. Bye!" Stella ran off, probably heading to the library before homeroom starts.

After that talk with Stella, Macy felt like herself again. She had the sudden urge to see the brothers.

"Hey, Macy," A too familiar voice had said. It was like they could read her mind! Macy turned around to see the three brothers she idolized so much.

"Oh my gosh! JONAS just said hi to me!" Stella was right. Whenever Macy was within feet of the brothers, she would immediately convert into a teenie. Stella always reassured Kevin, Joe and Nick that Macy isn't usually like that, and is just star struck. They want to believe her, but they need to see it first.

"Yes, we talk to you almost every day," Nick reminded her as he grabbed the hockey stick from Macy's hands, placing it on the floor, leaning on the lockers. Macy just stood there, smiling uncontrollably.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Joe whispered to Kevin through clenched teeth. Unfortunately, Macy had heard him, but wasn't offended. She didn't talk to Joe as much as she talked to the other two. She didn't mind, Macy knew Joe had a thing for Stella, as well as vice versa. Macy was okay with having a celebrity crush on him instead.

Nick also heard Joe's complaint and quickly nudged him, forcing a smile to Macy.

"How may I be of assistance?" Macy asked with a giggle. They didn't just come over to converse with her, y'know. Well, they probably have talked to her in general a few times, but not alone, Stella was always there.

"Fiona is after Joe again," Kevin began.

"And we need your help _again_," Nick continued. Macy was educated with all things that involved gossip. You needed to know these things if you're going to own a fan site about a celebrity.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" She questioned.

"Please get rid of her!" Joe blurted out. Fiona could be annoying. Although, she was an exceptionally great actress. Have you not seen her movies?

"Um, then what's the latest news with her?" Macy couldn't dare herself to say Fiona's name.

"Well, Paolo got in touch with us through your fan club and told us what Fiona was planning to do next," Joe explained. They still couldn't believe that Fiona didn't care Paolo was on JONAS' side now. Macy motioned for him to continue. "So the premiere for her new movie, Don't Turn Around, is tomorrow and she was going to take me as her date."

"That's it?"

Joe nodded.

"Then why won't you just turn her down?"

"Because she's setting me up. She's going to get her manager to call me and tell me I'm going on a blind date for a new celebrity dating show in the works."

"Hold on; why is Skye suddenly interested in you again?" Macy could handle saying Fiona's last name, though.

"She heard about Stella and Joe's 'break up'," Nick answered, using air quotes. But everyone knew they weren't dating at all in the first place. Just crushing.

"And thought this was her perfect opportunity to start the rumors once again," Kevin casually added.

"So what is she going to tell the tabloids?" Macy asked. She needed more information before she could create a plan.

"We're not entirely sure yet, but it's probably something along the lines of, 'Joe Lucas dumping Fake Blonde for Fiona Skye'," Kevin threw his hands in the air for effect.

"Damn, I can actually see what the article will say," Macy commented.

"So, are you going to help or not?" Joe said impatiently.

"Of course I will!" Macy retorted. "Seriously, how do I turn down a bunch of guys like you?"

"My boy-ish charm worked once again," Kevin sighed happily. The others rolled their eyes in amusement.

Macy checked her watch and noticed there was still an hour left before homeroom. So why were they all there so early? Well, Stella was obviously in a sewing club meeting, and Macy just had floor hockey practice. And it's pretty clear that Kevin had cheerleading. Nick and Joe were probably there for support, or they were forced to go to school early. Maybe they were trying to beat the traffic, so they won't arrive late.

"Well, I'm going to brush up on my gossip skills and come up with a plan," Macy announced. "I'll be in the computer lab if you need me."

"Great, meet us in the caf at lunch," Nick instructed. Macy nodded. She then took her hockey stick and left. She forgot to leave the hockey stick in the gym, so she was heading there first.

When Macy was in the computer lab, she noticed Stella at one of the computers, and decided to take a seat beside her.

"I thought you'd be in the library," Macy said, signing on the computer with her student ID.

"I was," Stella replied, not peeling her eyes away from the screen. "I took out a few books and I'm searching for any extra information." She pointed to the books that were next to Stella's computer keyboard. "So what are you here for? Checking up on your fan site?"

"I usually would, but right now, I need to look up the latest news on Fiona Skye." Macy was shocked she had even said her name.

"Why, what's going on?" Stella asked, eyes still glued onto the screen. Macy had a feeling the brothers weren't planning on telling her, so she just kept her mouth shut. Besides, there doesn't need to be a cat fight. Joe probably had a good reason to keep this from Stella. She doesn't like being involved with Fiona anyway. It'd just anger her.

"Just checking if she found someone else to use," Macy replied casually, her voice perfectly even. She was afraid that she would stutter. She wasn't good at lying to her best friend. Stella could read her like an open book. Luckily, this time, Stella didn't notice at all. She was too busy researching on mask making.

"Ah, I see. Tell me if she is."

"Why?" Macy opened a browser and typed in the biggest gossip site around. It contained news from all celebrities in America.

"Why?" She repeated, "What if that new guy she's using happens to be one of my best friends?"

"Stella," Macy began. "You don't have any other celebrity best friends beside Kevin, Nick and Joe."

"True," Stella answered in defeat. "But using people is never okay."

"Just as I suspected," Macy mumbled under her breath as she read an article about Fiona, hoping that Stella wouldn't notice. Stella didn't notice at all that their conversation had ended. So Macy finished reading the article. It basically mentioned how the movie premiere for Don't Turn Around was soon, and also mentioned how much Fiona Skye was talking when asked who her date to the movie was. She casually answered, "You'll see on the red carpet. It may surprise you, it may not. But I can't wait for the premiere! It will be the first time in _months _since we last saw each other." Ah, indeed, this is just the perfect challenge for Macy Misa. She needed something to get her mind off of the dance, and this was doing the trick.

Macy decided to search some more gossip websites. She would have went directly to the largest Fiona fan site, but being a fan site owner herself, she knows that fan sites respect the celebrities' privacy and doesn't start or spread rumors. Then, when it was nearing homeroom, the teacher in charge of the computer lab notified them to log off the computers if they didn't want to be late. Stella and Macy hurried, for they were always punctual. They had homeroom together, so they didn't have to worry about saying goodbye and seeing them later.

They arrived to class exactly a minute before homeroom started.

"Good morning, class," Ms. Snart began. "Now, before we go on, I would just like to mention a few things. First of all, if anyone's interested in helping out with the masked dance, just contact me. Secondly, volleyball season starts soon, and if any girls are interested in trying out, just ask Macy Misa for all the information." Macy sighed when she heard volleyball; she completely forgot that Coach wanted her to train all the athletes that were interested in joining. Of course, she didn't have to train the ones that were on the team the previous year. It usually was just the freshmen, and the ones who aren't athletic, but wanted to try something new. The only reason why Coach put her in charge of this, was because she wanted less work, and she trusted Macy, being the star athlete and all.

"Hey, Macy," Stella whispered. "Do you want to help set up for the dance?"

"What?" She whispered back. "I already have to train the newbies, and you want me to help out with the dance?!"

"Ms. Misa, Ms. Malone, is there a problem here?" Ms. Snart walked over to the two, who were in the back of the class.

"No, not at all," Stella answered casually, not wanting to get in trouble. "Macy and I were just talking about how we'd love to help set up for the dance next weekend."

"Stella!" Macy whined. She was busy enough as it is. And she still wasn't sure if she was going to attend the dance anyway.

"That's splendid! Meet me in the gym at lunch so we can start brainstorming." With that being said, Ms. Snart headed back to the front of the class.

"I hope you're happy!" Macy whisper yelled, crossing her arms.

"Yes, Macy, indeed I am," Stella replied with a smile.

When the morning classes were over, and lunch came around, Stella dragged Macy to her locker before going to the gym.

"Macy!" Joe yelled as he approached the two. "Oh, hey, Stella," He casually added once he noticed her with Macy. "Erm, may I speak to Macy alone?"

"Sorry, Joe, she and I need to get to the gym," Stella said, shutting her locker. She then grabbed Macy's wrist and pulled her towards the gym.

"Stella!" Macy whined again, like she had done in homeroom. "Why did you do that?! Joe needed to speak to me!"

"About what?" Stella turned to her with a suspicious look and crossed arms as they stopped in the middle of the gym.

"He needed help in math," Macy carefully lied. She hoped Stella didn't remember that excuse from before.

"So why didn't he ask me for help?"

"Because," Macy's voice trailed off, "he knows how focused you are on your creations, so he decided it's best he didn't bother you." She really needed to ask Joe if it was okay to tell Stella.

"Alright, students, gather around." Ms. Snart was on the far side of the gym. Stella rushed to Ms. Snart's side, while Macy sluggishly dragged her feet on the hardwood floor. She didn't really want to be there. She wasn't in the mood to make people happy. She wasn't even happy herself.

Macy raised her hand in the air, "Ms. Snart?"

"Yes, Macy?"

Macy put her hand down and replied, "I don't want to be here."

"Pardon? I do not follow."

"During homeroom when you busted me and Stella for talking, she was talking to me about helping set up for the dance. But I didn't want to. I have enough extra curricular activities as it is. You know I'd _love_ to help, but only if I didn't have tons of sports to practice for."

"Oh, well, then. I guess I understand, Macy. Besides, there's no way you're going to do good if Stella and I put pressure on you to do things."

"Thank you, Ms. Snart."

"You're welcome, sweetie. Now go get yourself some lunch."

Macy nodded and headed towards the exit. When she passed Stella, she intently whispered, "Game well played, Misa. I thought I could've got you to stay on the committee for longer." She's the one to talk. Stella still had her school work, her designing, and then the dance. Then again, Macy has way more, but, it can't currently be the season for all sports.

* * *

Like it? Hate it? Let me know in a review and give this story some love!


	2. Chapter Two

I'm glad you guys like this story so far! I've gotten an overwhelming amount of responses and I'm truly blessed to have awesome readers such as yourselves. I had the sudden urge to post this chapter up now, because a few days ago, I thought my computer crashed, since the 'blue screen of death' appeared. But when I turned it on today, it worked! I was relieved that all my files were still there, because I would have to rewrite chapters 2 - 5. The important thing is that I didn't lose the documents. Enjoy! Don't forget to drop a review on the way out if you have any thoughts on this chapter.

**Masquerade**

Chapter Two

Macy headed to the cafeteria and went to go find the boys. Surely enough, they were at their usual table. Macy pulled up a chair and sat in between Joe and Kevin.

"Why are you late?" Nick questioned, taking a bite of his burger.

"And why did Stella drag you away before the bell rang?" Joe asked.

"And _why_ is the sky blue?" Kevin randomly joined in. The three looked at him in confusion. He shrugged happily, and then took a sip of his chocolate milk.

"Well, Stella volunteered me to help set up the dance, which I was dead set against."

"How did you manage to get out?"

"I just talked to Ms. Snart and explained to her how it was just a misunderstanding. She believed me." Macy explained. "By the way, do I have permission to notify Stella about Fiona?"

"NO!" Joe yelled. No one seemed to mind, since the cafeteria was crowded, and their conversations were loud anyway. "I care about Stella, her being like a sister to me, and I don't want her getting into another catfight with Fiona. We were _so_ lucky that you were there to break it up. I guess all the sports you play really pay off."

"Yes, Joe, how else would you explain the trophies I have in my house?" Macy didn't want to brag, she just wanted to sound sarcastic.

"Anyway," Nick tried to change the subject. "Did you get any more news on Fiona?"

"When I checked, it basically said the same thing you guys told me this morning. But you should tell me if you hear anything else. I'll try to create a plan with all the information I have, even if it is very little."

Kevin sighed. "Why does being famous have to be so hard? Can't Joe just _not_ show up?"

"I think the boy's got it!" Nick praised.

"Agreed, Nick! How come I've never thought of that?" Joe continued the praise.

"Hey!" Macy snapped. "Didn't I mention that this morning?"

"Don't destroy my moment of awesomeness, Macy," Kevin bragged. "I know you're jealous."

"So I guess you won't be needing me then, huh?"

"Sorry," Joe shrugged. "Um, but after the premiere, when I _don't_ show up, Fiona will probably get a new plan."

"Okay, I guess I'll be going, then," Macy replied nervously. She can now have normal conversation with these boys, but sometimes when Stella isn't with them, things get awkward for Macy, and her only plan to escape the awkwardness, is to escape physically.

"No, don't," Kevin almost grabbed her arm, before he realized what he was about to do. "I mean, sit, Macy. Why don't you have lunch with us today?"

"Yes, Ms. Misa," Nick continued. "Since Stella's working on the dance and is skipping lunch, we don't have anyone to sit with."

"Um, yeah, you have _each other_," Macy pointed out.

"Look, do you want to have lunch with us or not?" Joe didn't try to sound rude, but the way Macy was being a smart-alec made it hard to be nice. They just wanted to sit with her. Kevin grasped Joe's arm, tensing him a bit. "What I mean is," Joe added, "just sit with us. I'm sure this will be a great story to tell on your fan site." The brothers didn't mind at all that Macy was the president and owner of the biggest JONAS fan site and fan club.

"Well, the girls have been asking me to sit with you guys for lunch," Macy's voice trailed off.

"Then sit," All three encouraged. Macy obliged. Then she frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't get any lunch yet."

"It's fine," Nick said. "You can have half of my sandwich."

"A-Are you sure?" Macy stuttered. She couldn't believe that Nick of JONAS was offering her half a sandwich!"

"Sure, why not? Besides, we're rock stars, we can probably survive at least twelve hours without food," Nick smiled.

"Though I can't say the same for Kevin," Joe began. "He's _always_ hungry."

"Not _always_," Kevin reckoned.

"Here," Nick shoved half of his sandwich to her in the aluminum foil.

"I suspect you're thirsty, too, yes?" Joe predicted. Macy dimly nodded. "Well, I don't want any more of my orange Gatorade."

"Ah, yes. Of course," Macy began to think of all those JONAS facts she had learned. "Joe Lucas of JONAS is _obsessed_ with orange Gatorade."

"Not obsessed… I just enjoy it," Joe corrected. "Gatorade is for athletes, so shouldn't it be your favorite?"

Macy nodded, "But I usually settle for water."

"So, you want the rest?" Joe held out his Gatorade bottle in front of her. Macy started to think about it, then he added, "I don't backwash, I swear." Macy softly giggled at his defense. She took the bottle from his hand.

"I feel really guilty right now," Kevin sighed. "My brothers are offering you with food and drinks, but I already finished my lunch, so I can't offer you anything. Don't hate me."

"Trust me, Kevin, that's not the reason why she hates you," Nick said evenly. He always had to have a serious remark. It's who he is.

"I don't hate Kevin!" Macy retorted.

"Thank you! And for that, here's a straw. I'm sure you don't want to drink from something that Joe's lips have touched." Kevin passed her a wrapped straw. Macy took the wrapper off and stuck it in the drink. Yes, Joe was right; this was going to be a very interesting story to tell the fans.

"Anyway," Joe tried to smooth things over. "Despite Nick and Kevin bickering, how's lunch with JONAS so far?"

"It's different from the lunches I had with you _and_ Stella," Macy nodded.

"Stella's the one to always calm the two down," Joe smiled at Macy's cuteness.

"But lunch is good so far," Macy took a bite of her—Nick's—sandwich before drowning it down with the orange sports drink.

Things were quiet for a moment. Macy knew that with her presence, it was keeping the boys from talking about what they usually talk about.

"It's okay," Macy sighed. "You guys can talk with me here. I'm no different from Stella. Except for the fact that I don't sew, I'm a few inches shorter, I'm brunette, and I'm in love with you guys." The brothers eyed her. "Oops. Did I say that out loud?" Macy's cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"Yes, you did."

"But to us, that's a compliment. We get that a lot."

"No need to be embarrassed."

Another pause followed.

"Macy's right," Joe agreed. "She's no different from Stella. We should be able to talk about stuff with her here."

"No duh," said Nick. "She's Stella's best friend, after all."

"Macy," Kevin turned to the brunette who was finishing off her lunch. She was _starved_. "You and Stella have been best friends for longer than she has been friends with us, right?"

"Yes," Macy confirmed. "But that's mostly because she moved in third grade to your guys' elementary school and then finished the rest of grade school there."

"Then explain to us why she's never mentioned you when she started going to school with us," Nick continued. What? Stella Malone has never told the Lucas brothers about Macy Misa? Macy was a tiny bit upset with this, until she remembered that fight that took place right before Stella moved. It was over a stupid doll, but they acted like it was their lives they were fighting against.

"Well, I don't think I can confide in such sworn secrecy," Macy responded.

"Oh, and why not?" Joe challenged.

"Maybe Stella's story is different from mine, and then we'll end up fighting again," Macy sighed lightly.

"_Again_?" Kevin repeated. She nodded. "You guys fought over something? That's very hard to believe, Macy Misa. You two act like you're inseparable."

"We are," Macy nodded.

"Then what's this fighting all about?" Nick questioned.

"I told you, I can't say anything about our past friendship," Macy warned.

"I would turn on my charm to get you to spill, but that's not a nice thing to do, is it?" Joe shrugged.

"No, not at all. I'm glad at least _one_ of you respects people's private lives," Macy replied.

"Hey, we can't keep our lives private!" Kevin defended.

"But they don't know about school, do they?" She pointed out. Kevin shook his head in defeat. "Exactly." A second of silence followed until Macy spoke up again, "Look, what happened between Stella and I back then is only between us. You boys don't need to know. The important thing is that my friendship is still standing strong with her. I'm thankful that fight didn't drive us apart forever."

"Guys!" Joe snapped at his two hard headed brothers. "Give Macy some space. If she doesn't want to talk about it, then don't make her. But if she does, then that's her choice."

"Thank you, Joe of JONAS," She smiled.

"Let's talk about the dance," Joe turned to the brunette, sipping on the straw, finishing off her orange drink. "Are you going?" Not this question again. Was everyone going to keep asking her that?

"Maybe," Macy's voice trailed off, tapping the table with her fingertips.

"You know, I've never actually seen you at a dance before," Kevin noticed. Macy was somewhat surprised, knowing that the brothers were observant.

"I'm not much of a dancer," Macy answered timidly.

"Lies!" Nick declared. "Stella tells us you're quite the dancer."

"Yeah, sure, in gymnastics," Macy scoffed. "But that's not technically dancing anyways."

"Uh, hate to break it to you, but at Stella's house once, we found old home videos and then we began to watch them without her permission," Joe began. Macy's eyes grew wide. It couldn't be. "There was this one video of you two dancing _insanely_ good."

"Okay, may I remind you that was back in like, first grade?" Macy tried to cover up the embarrassment. "And secondly, how is that _good_? Optimistic or not, you know it was terrible. Stella and I were just fooling around, and her mom just so happened to be holding a camera in her hands. It didn't mean anything."

"Don't be embarrassed," Kevin assured me. "Even _we_ have embarrassing home videos, don't we, boys?"

Nick and Joe nodded their heads in shame.

"Yeah, Stella told me about those," Macy suddenly smiled. It's amazing what the brothers can do to brighten up her day. The brothers were oblivious to this fact, obviously. But they should know that such small things they do, makes people's days brighter. "I'd _love_ to see that."

"Mhm, but you never will," Joe denied. "Me and my bad haircut that Stella recalls I chewed it, are never to be seen with your eyes."

"Too late, Joseph," Nick put a hand on his older brother's shoulder. "She's seen the pictures. Most die-hard fans have. I'm just lucky my hair wasn't like yours." Macy and Kevin burst out into laughter.

"Hahaha," Joe mocked. "Do you not remember that picture of you with cake all over your face?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Nick responded proudly. "I was a cute baby enjoying his cake. What's wrong with that?"

"You may have won this round, _Nicholas_, but I will be avenged!" Joe warned.

"What are you doing to do, steal my teddy bear again? I'm not afraid of you," Nick shot back confidently.

"I know you live for teddy, so that will be a yes," Joe confirmed.

"Ah, yes, Nick's teddy bear he had received from his Uncle Josh when he was but only five," Macy remembered. Yes, she knew these things. She wasn't a stalker; she was just an obsessed fan. "He recalled that thing as his best friend."

"No I didn't!" Nick protested. "My best friend was a girl named Maya! She still is one of my best friends, but she now lives in Dallas, Texas."

"Oh, right! I think I did an interview with her once for my site," Macy replied. That interview took place before Macy met the boys and gotten to know them personally. But the brothers' friends, on the other hand, she keeps in touch with.

"Yeah, I think she mentioned that to us once," Nick remembered. "But that was way back when we didn't know you at all. Well, we kind of did, considering the fact that you made our first ever fan site, but we only talked through the phone and stuff."

"I remember that!" Joe chimed in. "And then when we finally met at school, you fainted. You were nothing like we would expect you to be once we met face to face."

"Is that a bad thing?" She mumbled, shuddering at those thoughts. She was glad that those days were gone. She didn't faint anymore when she talked to the brothers. Although, there was still that occasional shrieking and squealing, but she was sure the Lucas boys were already used to that.

"No, no," Joe quickly reassured her, thinking fast. "It's just that you seem so chill over the internet. No excessive use of exclamation marks, no writing in all caps. Proper punctuation and grammar…"

"Oh, so you don't remember me freaking out when I had the phone interview with you guys?" Macy questioned.

"Well, we expected that," He explained, "but you calmed down right away."

"So when we met you for the first time, we were a bit nervous, I mean, what were we supposed to do with you on the floor, knocked out?" Kevin said. "And Stella wasn't there at the time to help, either."

Macy tried to look away from the boys in embarrassment.

"You were just a little star struck, that's all," Kevin reassured. "We expected you shrieking, but we weren't prepared for you to faint. You were the first fan we ever met that fainted. After that, we experienced about ten more. I think that just happened with one fan at last week's concert."


	3. Chapter Three

So, my computer finally crashed and lost all my files, which is why I haven't been motivated to update my stories. But today I decided to re-write this chapter. To make up for taking so long, I'm going to post chapter four and five in the next few days. You can take it as my Christmas present to you, even if it's over. Oh, and don't think I haven't forgotten about Games, I'm still really bummed out how my computer crashed. Anyway, enjoy! Don't forget to review!

**Masquerade**

Chapter Three

"So I'm the one who started this whole fainting fad?" Macy laughed.

"We believe so," Kevin agreed.

Joe suddenly spoke up, his voice a little loud, "I have to go."

"Where?" Nick questioned his older brother.

"I have to go see my math teacher, she has some extra homework for me to do," Joe shrugged and left without waiting for a response from someone else.

The three exchanged looks, why did he rush off like that? Once they decided that it was Joe's problem and not theirs, they continued their conversation. They talked about how big they've become, and how the brothers remembered they would see Macy in the crowd at almost every concert they've done in New Jersey.

"You're really dedicated, aren't you, Macy?" Nick commented. "I'm not saying that as a bad thing. I'm just glad we're friends with one of our biggest fans in the country."

""Well, I was going to take that as a good thing anyway," Macy assured him. "But yes, I am dedicated. I'm one of those girls who camp out just to get front row tickets at your shows. Before you tell me that I can just ask for tickets from you, I don't want to. It makes me guilty. Even though we're friends, I don't want to make you feel like I'm just using you for concert tickets and backstage passes. That's why I save up my allowance. I spend it mostly on you."

"Aw, well that's sweet," Kevin replied. "I wish Stella was like you, not asking for concert tickets."

"Wait, I thought Stella got to go in for free because she's your stylist," Macy said. She never had this conversation with Stella, so she might as well ask the brothers themselves.

"Well, you could say that," Nick tilted his head to the side. "She asks for concert tickets and backstage passes for some fans she meets outside the venue that don't have tickets."

"I mean, we're glad to help out fans, but we'd like to give it to them personally," Kevin continued. "Just to show them how much we appreciate them."

"And that's why JONAS is my favorite band of _all time_!" Macy concluded with a smile. She loved many things about the band. Giving back to their fans was definitely high on that list. How many bands do you know give fans tickets to their shows for _free_? Macy knows one. There's probably are a few more bands that do the same thing, but Macy couldn't care less about them right now.

-x-

Once school was over, Macy headed home. She didn't have a car yet, or her driver's license at all, for that matter, so she walked home. It was good anyway since she does so many sports. It counts as exercise, so she doesn't have to do extra on the treadmill when she gets home. So you see, she's very serious about sports and she doesn't let anything get in the way of that. Not even JONAS. She tries to forget the fact that her favorite band of brothers are sitting in the crowd, cheering her, and Horace Mantis to victory. She tries to forget the fact of how angelic their voices sound when they scream her name. Nothing stops this girl from winning a game.

Macy suddenly heard loud footsteps and naturally walked faster. When she crossed the street, someone behind her screamed her name. She turned around to see the boys she wasn't expecting to see at that moment. She wasn't expecting them to be without a body guard either.

"Hey, we've been trying to reach you," Kevin panted.

"It would've helped if you screamed my name earlier," Macy shrugged.

"That's what I suggested, but _no_, these two decided to 'surprise' you," Joe rolled his eyes and used air quotes. The way Joe rushed off at lunch like that; Macy didn't expect him to be with his brothers right now. But they're brothers, and they're responsible of walking home together, right?

The four began to walk again.

"Where's Big Man?" Macy questioned. "Why didn't he pick you up?"

"You know our mom, the whole 'keep it real' thing," Nick replied.

"Your mom's nice," Macy commented. "But of course, I've never met her yet."

"You have met our dad, though, right?" Kevin checked.

"Mhm," She nodded. "Why are you walking with me anyway?"

"We hear your house is in the same direction as ours," Nick answered.

"Stella?" Macy guessed.

"Stella," Nick and Kevin confirmed.

"Speaking of Stella, where is she?" Joe asked. "We thought she'd be walking with you." Of course, Joe was the one to talk about Stella. Macy didn't mind that her best friend was with her crush. Besides, it was just a celebrity crush, that can't cause harm. Well, Joe and Stella weren't together _officially_, Nick, Kevin and Macy just liked to think they are.

"Yeah, so when we saw you alone, we decided to join you," Nick agreed.

"Stella's staying after school to help with the dance," Macy responded. "She wants the dance to be the best dance ever."

"Wait, I thought that was prom," Kevin realized.

"_One_ of the best dances ever," Macy corrected. "But she's most likely to help out with prom too once that comes around."

"She better make it _best_, if she's going to help out with my prom," Kevin warned.

They talked for some more until they reached Macy's fairly sized house.

"Well, this is my house; I'll see you guys tomorrow," Macy said, a bit nervous. She hadn't had this much quality time alone with the brothers. Stella was always there to break the awkward silences.

"You have a nice house," Nick commented.

"Eh, I've seen better," Joe rudely remarked. Why's he being a jerk?

"Don't listen to Joe," Kevin rolled his eyes. Brothers. "You should invite us over sometime."

"Yeah, I should," Macy laughed.

"Meanwhile, we'll invite you over to our house this Saturday when Stella comes over to take measurements for our suits for the dance," Nick smiled. Oh how Macy longed for that beautiful smile.

"You _are_ going to the dance, right?"

"I still have to talk to Stella about it. She told me I'd have to tell her if I was, because she wants to design me the _perfect_ dress. I don't think she should be wasting her time on me, she is _your_ stylist, after all."

"But she's _your_ best friend forever, after all," Nick reminded me.

"Can we hurry this up? I want to get home already," Joe sighed. Seriously, what was with the sudden change of character? He was always nice. The last time Macy remembered he was nice was during lunch, and after lunch, he just turned into a jerk. How can that happen in just a matter of hours? _Maybe math is stressing him out_, Macy thought to herself. Yeah, that's it. Math. She can't admit that she may be the one who's done something to him. But she's never done anything mean or bad to any one of these brothers. She loved them too much. She shouldn't care too much, even if she is the number one JONAS super fan. She respected their privacy. This is Joe's problem anyway.

"Okay, bye," Macy ran off to her driveway and started walking once she got to the path that led to her door.

"Mom, call me down for dinner, okay?" Macy instructed her mother as she rushed upstairs. She changed into her pajamas, because she knew she wasn't going anywhere tonight. She went on her laptop and once it was ready for her, she updated her JONAS fan site and then updated her blog. The blog she had was personal, and she talked about her life. She even mentions what she does with the brothers. She didn't mind if the fans were only reading it for JONAS, but at least someone's interested in her life. The only thing exciting about it is JONAS.

As she clicked 'publish', the phone rang. Thinking nothing of it, because it was the land line, she ignored it. She picked it up, turned it on and put it against her ear when her mom notified that it was Stella.

"Make up your mind, Macy Misa," Stella began. "Are you going to the dance or not?"

"I don't want to," She denied.

"Come on Macy, it'll be fun!"

"You're not going to let this go if I don't attend, are you?"

"Nope, so you should go."

"Fine, I'm going."

"Great, come over to my house on Friday, so I can get your measurements and we can think of ideas of what your dress will look like," Stella informed her. "I'm going to the firehouse on Saturday for the boys' suits."

"Yeah, okay, I'll be there," Macy replied. "And I'm joining you on Saturday too, the brothers invited me over."

"Okay, you can be my assistant for that day." Macy could hear a smile in Stella's voice.

-x-

"Joe, dude, what's your problem?!" Nick yelled once Macy was out of sight.

"I just want to get home. I'm sorry if I had to be rude to get that across," Joe replied and continued walking.

"Joseph!" Nick was about to go after him, but Kevin stopped him from doing so.

"Just leave him be," Kevin said. "He's probably stressed. He'll talk to us when he's ready."

Once they reached the firehouse, Joe slammed the door in Kevin and Nick's face. The brothers rolled their eyes and thought nothing of it. They went inside and was greeted by their mother.

"Boys, do you know what's wrong with Joe?" She asked.

"We have no idea. He started acting like that after lunch. We don't know what's going on."

"Is it because of Stella or something?" She suggested.

"Probably not, but speaking of Stella, we'll ask her to talk to him. She's his best friend."

The two head upstairs to find Joe playing the keyboard. He's probably writing a song expressing how he feels at the moment. They went to the side opposite of Joe to talk. Kevin gave Nick his cell phone and dialed Stella's number.

"Stella!" Nick greeted.

"Nick!" She played along.

"Can you please talk to your boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend."

"Joe, isn't he your boyfriend?"

"No! He just so happens to be my best guy friend."

"What about Kevin and me?"

"You two come in second, sorry."

"But anyway, talk to Joe!"

"Why should I, after you've been being really rude to me?"

"He's acting like a jerk and we don't know why. You're the only one he trusts."

"Okay, fine, pass the phone to him, please."

Nick took the phone off his ear and covered the bottom. He nodded at Kevin.

"JOSEPH ADAM LUCAS! STELLA'S ON THE PHONE!" That sure got his attention. He quickly ran over to his brothers and snatched the phone from Nick. He went back to the keyboard to talk to her.

-x-

"Joseph," Stella said in a stern voice. "What's this I hear about you being a jerk?"

"I'm not being a jerk!" Joe denied.

"Then why did your brothers say you are?" Stella challenged.

"They're my brothers, they hate me!"

"Oh, really?"

"Mhm."

"Because last time I checked, you all loved each other. Now tell me the reason why you're being so rude."

"You're going to laugh at me," Joe sighed, giving up the act.

"I'm going to laugh at you either way, now spill."

"Okay, fine, just don't tell anyone, _especially _my brothers and Macy," He gave in.

"Why would I tell Macy?"

"Because she's your best friend."

"Oh, right, so anyway, talk."

"The reason why I'm acting like this is because…"

-x-

"Are you done talking to Stella?!" Nick yelled from across the room.

Joe didn't say anything and just chucked the phone to them. Luckily, Kevin caught it and put it to his ear.

"So what's the problem?"

"I'm sorry, Kevin, I can't tell you. I promised Joe I wouldn't tell anyone," Stella replied. "But I can tell you that he'll stop being a jerk in a few weeks."

"A few weeks?!" Kevin repeated. "I can't live with Jerky Joe for that much longer."

"Look, just learn to deal with it. Joe's really focused on something and it's really getting frustrating for him, okay?"

"What's he doing?"

"Like I said before, I can't tell you. But he said he'd let me know when he's done this 'something' and then he'll be the Joe we all know and love. Just give him some space. He has a lot on his mind. You know what that's like, right?"

"Of course, I mean, trying to balance school work with our music career, it's kind of hard." They have to learn to deal with that, because it was their choice to attend a real high school.


	4. Chapter Four

Don't think I've forgotten about this story. Because I haven't. I haven't forgotten about Games either, I know I've been MIA on that, but I'll explain more in the AN when I _finally _update that one. But anyway, enjoy! Please leave a review on the way out just to speak your mind/give your opinion, how awesome I am (haha, not really), and basically whatever you want to write in your review. Reviews are love. Ideas would be lovely as well. Add those to your reviews if you'd like. I'll stop rambling now. Bye!

**Masquerade**

Chapter Four

"Okay, just don't worry about Joe," Stella repeated.

"Fine, we won't. But if he's not fine by the next concert, we're blaming you."

"What in the world did I do?!" Stella exclaimed.

Kevin hung up and didn't respond to her shocked statement.

"Don't worry about Joe," Kevin told Nick. "Just don't."

"Okay," Nick nodded.

-x-

"Macy!" Van Dyke called, running to the brunette's locker.

"What do you want, Van Dyke?" Macy said, irritated. "Want me to ask Stella out for you? You're out of luck; she's taking a break from dating for a while, especially dating you."

"Oh, wow, that's harsh. Is it because of Joe?" Van Dyke guessed.

"How'd you know?" Macy questioned sarcastically.

"Come on, Misa, I'm not _that_ oblivious," He said. "Don't think I didn't notice that Stella kept looking at Joe when I asked her out that other time. But I'm not here to talk about Stella. I'm here to find out your secret."

"What secret?" Macy was confused.

"To how you can play _every_ sport," He continued.

"You should know, you're also on every sports team at the school," She shot back. They'd be perfect for each other because they both play all the same sports, right? Wrong. They despise each other. Macy just tries to get along with him for Stella's sake. She brings out her anger by discussing how much of a dwonk he is with Joe.

"That's true," Van Dyke remembered. "But I was never on the girl's baseball team. You were on the boys'. If it wasn't for your obnoxious voice, I would have believed you were a boy. And don't start talking about your hair; you were wearing a hat and helmet at every game and practice."

"That was back then, Van Dyke, before Horace Mantis had a girl's baseball team. I had no choice, and Coach Mason was surprisingly okay with it."

"He was only okay with it because we didn't lose a game at all that season."

"Is it my fault I'm better than you?" Macy challenged.

"Possibly."

"Can you please get out of my face now?" That was subtle. Macy slammed her locker loudly, but purposely because of the jock's presence. She was getting really annoyed. He just stood there, so Macy added, "Fine, I'll get out of _your_ face." She walked away with a bit of extra attitude. She was going to be in a bad mood today. That won't last long, because she's sure that JONAS will brighten up her day somehow.

Macy didn't talk to the brothers just yet, she bumped into Stella.

"Stella, you don't have dance committee this morning?"

"Nope, I'm here early because my sewing machine broke down so I'm going to go the sewing club and ask to use a spare. I'm getting my machine fixed on Sunday. What about you, don't you have hockey practice or something?"

"No practice for anything today. I just got used to getting to school early. It's an unhealthy habit. Mind if I join you in sewing club?"

"No, not at all, let's go!" Stella grabbed Macy's arm and pulled her upstairs and into the room where sewing club was held. Stella was of course part of it, but not the president or anything. She was the president of her own clothing line anyway.

Macy sat beside Stella, watching her work the sewing machine like it was nobody's business. Macy thought it was the perfect time to think. About anything that came to mind. A thought about Van Dyke Tosh suddenly crept in her head. She decided that she has a few questions that she needs answered.

"Stella?" Macy began, hoping for the blonde's attention.

"Yes, Macy?" Stella didn't keep her eyes off what she was doing. Macy didn't mind, as long as she was listening to her.

"Why do you go out with Van Dyke?" Macy asked. "I was talking to him earlier, and I find him really obnoxious. I can see why Joe dislikes him too."

"For your information, Joe only dislikes him because he's jealous."

"Why would Joseph Adam Lucas be jealous of Van Dyke Tosh? Joe's got it better than Van Dyke."

"He's jealous of Van Dyke dating me, obviously." Stella doesn't like to admit that both she and Joe have a thing for each other. "He wants to be as happy as Van Dyke and I. Well, when Van Dyke and I are on a date. That's why he asked you out. He wants a special someone."

"What?!" Macy's response clearly showed how shocked she was. "Are you implying that Joe likes me?"

Stella, for the first time in minutes, looked at Macy with an emotionless face and rushed to get her things.

"I didn't say anything," The blonde denied as she got up, pushing Macy out of the room. Apparently, she rushed to gather _Macy's_ things, not her own. "Um, you should probably go to the library to check over your homework. I mean, you don't _have_ to go to the library; you can just sit on the staircase if you'd like. I just want to be alone."

Macy raised an eyebrow, confused. What did Stella Malone have to hide? She shrugged it off and did as what she was told. She didn't feel like going to the library, so she went with her other choice and sat on the stairs.

"Phew," Stella sighed. "That was close. I can't believe I almost blew it. He's going to kill me."

Homeroom started and Stella didn't say a word to Macy at all. Not even in the other morning classes they had together. Stella was relieved that she had a meeting with the dance committee at lunch again. She hadn't decided how she'd explain everything to Macy. But she made a promise, so she's most likely going to keep her mouth shut. They're both her best friends, and she's not going to be able to choose between them. Stella Malone was a good friend. She wouldn't tell her friends' secrets, despite the fact that she texts gossip all day. She doesn't gossip about her friends. That was just wrong.

Macy bought her lunch this time, and stared at the crowded cafeteria, trying to find a place to sit. Should she sit with JONAS? No, they've probably had enough of her yesterday. What about Macy's teammates? No, she didn't have much interaction with them outside of sports. But what you're thinking is correct; _shouldn't Macy be with her teammates, since everyone has their own groups and cliques_? Not at Horace Mantis. Things are a bit different here.

She finally spotted an empty table near the back of the cafeteria. Macy wasn't all that popular, even if she is the school's number one female athlete. She and Van Dyke still tie in for school's number one athlete.

Macy ate her lunch slowly, trying to figure out why she doesn't have many friends, and trying to comprehend what Stella had said before homeroom at sewing club. That was before a masculine figure stood at her presence. Macy was deep in thought and didn't notice him. But he didn't stop himself from trying to get her attention. He coughed purposely, hoping Macy would look up and smile.

She looked up, but didn't smile. She frowned instead.

"Why are you frowning at me?" The boy said, worried.

"I don't know," Macy honestly replied. "It was something about yesterday that made me feel that I did something to you. And I'm positive I didn't."

"I know you didn't," He answered, pulling up a seat, not caring if Macy wanted him to stay or not. He just needed to talk to her. "It's something personal, Macy. I'm sorry if I made you feel this way, but I assure you, it's not about you. I'd explain, but I can't."

"You know I respect your privacy, Joe, so I couldn't care less if you told me or not," Macy responded, a balance of respect and rudeness in her statement. "Why are you talking to me anyway? I'd thought you hated me considering that remark you made about my house which 'you've seen better.'"

"I think I've done enough to you in the past twenty-four hours. I'll just leave." Joe stood up, and was ready to leave, but Macy hesitated in stopping him. She sighed and decided to let him go. She was worried. She was starting to develop more feelings for Joe. This was strange, because she only had a celebrity crush on the Lucas boy. Macy denied that she was, dare she say it, _in love_ with the boy. Not as a celebrity, but as a person, like every other regular crush she had at her school.

-x-

"Joe, why did you talk to Macy at lunch? What about your whole plan?" Stella questioned, as she caught up to Joe walking quickly in the hallway.

"I just wanted to let her know that me acting mean has nothing to do with her, I'm not talking to her again, don't worry about me," Joe answered.

"But—"

"Shut up, Stella," Joe interrupted, turning a corner, walking faster. Stella gave up in following him and just turned back to go to her locker.

As she arrived at her locker, she was greeted by Van Dyke.

"Van Dyke, what are you doing here?" Stella questioned nervously. She looked around to see if Joe was within sight.

"I just wanted to ask you to the dance," He replied innocently.

"But you _do_ know that this dance does not require dates," She pointed out.

"Uh, right," His voice trailed off. They stood in silence until he thought of something to say. "Okay, fine, promise me you'll save a dance for me?"

"If I can find you, sure," Stella somewhat accepted.

"Great, I'll see you then," He smiled and walked down the hallway, most likely to his next class.

"Ugh, why does he have to make it so hard?" Stella whispered to herself, opening her locker, putting her head in it and slamming her head repeatedly. What was she going to tell Joe when he sees her dancing with some dude that resembles Van Dyke Tosh?

-x-

"Where's Joe?" Kevin asked his younger sibling, as they walked home.

"I don't know, and it's weird how he didn't join us for lunch," Nick answered.

"You know what Stella said, we shouldn't worry about Joe too much."

"I know, but he's our brother, why shouldn't we care?" Nick said a bit too loudly. "Give me a reason why we _shouldn't_ care!"

"Because it's personal, we should let him figure this out for himself," Kevin sighed. He also wanted to know what was going on with the middle brother. If he wanted to be a good brother, though, he should respect Joe's privacy.

"Ooh!" The younger brother's face lit up. Kevin eyed him, confused. "What if it's about a girl? He mentioned a few months ago that he had a developing crush on someone. He never said any names, but he described her as 'petite, brunette and bubbly.'"

"Did he say in what grade?"

"No, but he limits himself from the freshmen."

"So the girls in your grade, his grade and mine."

"Basically."

"Well, that narrows it down," Kevin sarcastically commented.

"Hey guys!" Macy ran to the two Lucas brothers.

"Wow, Mace, track really pays off for you," Nick said.

"Yes, it does," She smiled tiredly. They continued walking. "Um, so Joe talked to me at lunch today."

"Really? We haven't seen him in the cafeteria at all."

"Well, he kind of just rushed in and then left." Macy shrugged.

"What'd he say?" Kevin questioned

"He just wanted to let me know that he's not being rude to me because I've done something to him. It's pretty hard to believe, but I'm starting to think he's lying."

"Why, what did you do to him anyway?" It was Nick's turn to ask.

"That's exactly my point. I did nothing, but he acts like I did something. Then he tells me I didn't. It's all very confusing, actually." Macy shook her head. "Honestly, I don't want him to hate me. That'd be the last thing I want."

"What are you doing tonight, Macy?" Nick asked.

"Homework, eat, sleep," She shrugged, focusing on the sidewalk they'd been walking on for a couple of blocks. "How about you guys?"

"Eat, interview, meeting, homework, sleep," Kevin responded in the same tone Macy used, somewhat mocking her.

"I thought you cancelled all interviews and meetings on school nights," Macy stated.

"Yes, but this is urgent and it's the only time Malcolm is in town," Nick explained. "He's on a country wide talent search he does every year."

"Oh my god," Kevin randomly said. "Guess what!" He turned to his brother and the athlete.

"What?" The two said in uneven unison.

"I like emo koalas," He smiled proudly.

"Yes, Kevin, we know," Nick answered, annoyed.

"It's my favorite thing about visiting Australia. We always visit koalas. We visit kangaroos also."

"What about the fans?"

"Oh, you know I love the Aussie fans!" Kevin paused. "You know what would be even better? Koala fans! I want to know how many koalas there are that are fans of JONAS. That would be totally awesome. Yes, we should do that. Next time we go to Australia, I want to ask all the koalas I meet if they're fans of us. Or Aussie fans could tweet us and such. Either way, I want koala fans."

"If I were a koala, I'd be a fan," Macy tried to make Kevin's theory realistic.

"You're a fan now," Nick pointed out. "You'd still be a fan then."

"Okay, really, Nick? Like, seriously. You've got to stop that. It's really annoying and I'm getting tired of it. Joe is getting tired of it as well," Kevin said sternly, before snickering and giving his younger brother a hug.

"Aw, brotherly love!"


	5. Chapter Five

Hello, lovely readers. I didn't mean for this chapter to be up this week; I was planning for it to be next week. But I guess you got lucky. Come on, people, I know I'm starting to slack off on this story, but I only didn't update last month because of an autobiography project I had to work really hard on. I promise that I'll update at least two chapters every month. If I forget, then I'll probably post two chapters in one day or one after the other. This is how dedicated I am to this story. Enjoy, sweethearts!

**Masquerade**

Chapter Five

The week went on quickly and Friday came. Macy didn't want to go to Stella's. Well, she did, being her best friend and all. But because this is concerning the dance, she very much didn't want to. Maybe Stella forgot, maybe the night's not going to revolve around the dance. Homework, maybe, but that's natural. You know Macy loves Stella Malone, but she's a fashion monster sometimes. No, not sometimes, _all_ the time. Macy's just lucky that Stella's the stylist for JONAS, so she doesn't really focus on her best friend's style. As sad as that may sound, Stella gives Macy some fashion freedom. Nick and Joe as well. Kevin, not so much. He's always insisting on wearing leather vests. With no shirt under. Kevin really needs her help. That's why she's the stylist.

Friday was the only day Macy didn't have to walk home from school. Stella wasn't into sports or exercising, so of course she takes her car. The school day ended very quickly, and Macy was dreading each hour. She wasn't all that girly. Sure, she wears make up, but it's very light. It's not as heavy as Stella's. That was Macy's extreme.

"I still don't know why you're measuring me, I thought you already had my measurements," Macy held her arms up, allowing Stella to measure her waist, and right above her chest. Stella planned the dress to be strapless, and Macy was okay with that. She liked to dress girly once in a while. She was somewhat glad she was attending the dance.

"Because," Stella began, jotting down measurements in a small notebook. "Sometimes the fabrics I use are all different. So I follow a guide that helps. It's really hard for me to explain, so please don't ask."

"Alright," Macy obliged.

"Okay, I'm done," Stella announced, hanging the measuring tape around her neck.

Macy sighed in relief and let her arms dangle back to her sides. Stella was a genius at designing, but for some reason, Macy hated it when she measured her. There's nothing wrong with Stella, Macy just hated getting measured in general. No one knew why. Macy herself didn't know why either. It's probably insecurity.

"Now, Macy, come here," Stella advised and walked towards the computer. Macy followed behind. Stella sat in a chair in front if it, and offered Macy a chair as well. Stella opened a browser and typed in a website she knew too well. No, it wasn't Macy's fan site. "Choose a dress I can base yours off of."

"Um, okay." Macy took hold of the mouse and started to scroll through homecoming dresses. The masquerade wasn't a prom, or homecoming, but it somewhat fit better under the latter. She looked through several dresses, but felt they weren't for her. She went through a couple more before she noticed a dress that caught her eye.

"I like this one!" She exclaimed, pointing to the screen. It was a floor length black dress, with ruffles for the skirt and shoulders. "But I could do without the sash and the flowered ruffles on the shoulders, and I don't want sleeves."

"Oh, and it's going to be red, not black," Stella reminded her best friend. "And I'm going to make it knee-length; you need to show off your flawless legs. Oh, you're not going to need sleeves anyway, I've planned for your dress to be strapless."

"Oh, how I hate strapless dresses. I always feel like they're going to fall off," Macy sighed. "But is it okay if I wear transparent straps?"

"We'll see how this goes."

"So explain to me how this is going to be a Stella original," Macy requested.

"I know we're looking at dresses online," She started, but it is just for inspiration. I assure you it will be one of a kind. The idea might not be, but what I pictured in my mind will be."

"When are you going to start making it? You only have a week."

"I know. That's why I'm going to start it now," Stella said excitedly. This was one of the few times that Macy agreed for Stella to make her clothes. "But before I do, I need you to try on an outfit for me." Macy nodded and followed Stella to her walk-in closet in her room. She handed the brunette one of her latest creations. Stella left her in the closet so Macy could change in privacy. When she got changed, Macy exited the closet and showed Stella. Stella got up from her bed and started to examine her. Macy was sporting a white sundress. It might be played out, but the style was different. Macy also wore a matching headband Stella designed as well.

"There are many sundresses I've seen and tried on, but this is definitely unique," Macy encouraged. It was the honest truth. If she hated it, she'd break it to the stylist nicely. Unlike some people, who would probably just come right out and say, "I hate it. This is horrible." But no, Macy and Stella aren't like that. Even if it's going to hurt each other or anyone else, they'd still let them know. Some people are oblivious to things sometimes.

"I know, right?" Stella smiled brightly. "I was going for that. All sundresses I've ever seen seem the same to me."

"Mhm," Macy nodded with a smile. She was a bit eager for something and stared at Stella with knowing eyes.

"Yes," Stella sighed and rolled her eyes. "You can keep the dress, but the headband is mine. It matches with everything I own." She paused, "I checked."

"Aw, thank you, Stell!" Macy hugged Stella quickly and let go when Macy's phone went off. Her ringtone was a song from none other than JONAS. She excused herself and answered her phone. Stella nodded knowingly.

"I'm at Stella's, why?" Macy said to the person on the other line. "I'm sorry for not telling you." It was probably her mom. "Oh, okay, then. I'll ask, hold on." Macy put the phone a distance away from her ear and asked Stella, "Do you mind if I sleep over tonight? My mom's just wondering. I don't think she wants me home, haha."

"No, not at all," Stella confirmed. "I'll set things up right now! You know how I get when we have sleepovers." Stella's always prepared for sleepovers because they'd plan weeks before. But when it came to times like this, Stella has a sleepover preparedness plan, as silly as that may sound.

"Okay, thanks!" Macy smiled before putting the phone back to her ear. "She said yes. I don't know, I'll be home in the afternoon. I'll be at the brothers' house. Stella's getting their measurements for suits for the masquerade next week. Yes, mom, I'm going. Love you, bye."

Macy took the phone off her ear once again and looked at it. She pressed the 'end call' button and placed it on Stella's dresser, right beside her cellular phone.

"Just to make sure, you have my extra toothbrush, correct?"

"Yes, Macy, I do. And I'm sure you have mine."

See, they're really prepared when last-minute sleepovers happen. They each have a set of each other's clothes just in case. Stella secretly loved having these types of sleepovers. Sometimes Macy forgets to leave a set of her clothes at her house, so Stella gets to have fun and dress Macy up with such girly pajamas. Usually, Macy would just sleep in a t-shirt or a jersey, but she does sleep in pajama pants.

"So, since you're sleeping over, we can both get into our pajamas now," Stella suggested. She led Macy into the walk-in closet once again. They walked right to the back of the closet to find Macy's overnight bag. Stella had one just like it in Macy's closet. Macy grabbed the duffel bag and zipped it open to see its items. There were clothes, but not clothes for Macy to sleep in. There was her toothbrush, bunny slippers and a few JONAS CDs. She buys two of each CD. Sometimes more. What can she say? She loves supporting her boys.

"Great," Macy groaned. "I'm going to have to borrow one of your pajamas."

"Yup," Stella knew. "I'd make a new set that you can help design, but I promised I'd get started on your dress. You can help me with that."

"Okay, so just this once, can I choose my own pajamas to wear?" Macy requested.

"Fine," Stella agreed. "It's not like you're going to mess this up. Everything I own and made are Stella approved."

"Oh, gee, thanks." Nothing says 'best friends' like sarcasm!

"Oh my god, it's only seven," Macy took a glance at the wall clock when they got out of the closet and after the two friends got changed. Macy chose pajamas that had cute little ice cream cones on them. Stella bought those, not made. Her closet is totally organized. One side is all the stuff that she bought, and the other side is all the stuff she created. Each side has its sub categories. It's pretty amazing, actually. But with all the clothes the girl has, it might have taken her _hours_ to organize.

"Time for dinner," Stella stated.

The pair headed downstairs for the kitchen, both wearing their matching bunny slippers. They greeted Stella's parents.

"Mom, is it okay if Macy stays the night? I kind of already told her she could," Stella asked for permission.

"Of course," Mrs. Malone granted.

"Thanks, Mrs. Malone," Macy politely thanked.

"No problem, dear."

"So what's for dinner, Dad?"

"Well, your mom got home late and it's her night to make dinner. You know what we end up doing during this time," Mr. Malone explained. Psh, even Macy knew. She stayed over too many nights with this happening.

"Pizza or Chinese food? Those are the choices for tonight." Mrs. Malone already had the home phone in her hand, preparing to dial a number she dialed too much in the past. "I want pizza."

"Chinese," Mr. Malone simply stated.

"Pizza," Stella and Macy answered in perfect unison.

"Pizza it is."

"That's not fair; we never get Chinese food because I'm the only one who likes it."

"Dad, you do know that Mom and I eat Chinese food too, but tonight I feel like pizza."

"Same here," Macy agreed. "But I do recall last time I was here with this happening, you ordered Chinese, so I presume this is fair."

"Well, Macy, you're too kind," Mr. Malone complimented. "Stella usually just insults and taunts me when I don't get what I want. But you actually care."

"Dad!" Stella whined. "I do care! Those times when I insult and taunt you is when you get me in a bad mood."

"And how do I get you into a bad mood?"

"You keep complaining that you don't get it your way."

Mrs. Malone and Macy quietly chuckled to themselves at the father daughter pair. They fight, but it's not the kind of fights where they'd yell and stuff. They're calm about the whole thing.

"Mrs. Malone, I think you should call the pizza place while they're fighting, so they don't get their say in what kind of pizza to order," Macy suggested jokingly. The father daughter pair didn't seem to hear this comment.

"Great idea, Macy," Mrs. Malone winked at her daughter's best friend. "So what do you want?"

"Hawaiian, if you don't mind," Macy replied.

"You know I love Hawaiian," Mrs. Malone smiled. "So that's a medium Hawaiian for me and you, and a medium pepperoni for _them_." She called the nearest pizza place and placed her order. Nobody felt like picking it up, so they ended up settling for delivery.

The pizza arrived and Macy and Stella ended up taking half of the Hawaiian and half of the pepperoni. They switched the pizzas in the boxes and took one upstairs to Stella's room with a bottle of two liter Coke and two cups. They were planning on watching a movie like they did every other sleepover they had.

"What movie should we watch tonight?" Stella questioned, staring at the DVDs in front of her and Macy.

"Um, Mean Girls, it's a classic," Macy answered.

"Awesome, I haven't seen that in a while."

"Me neither."

"But do you mind if I start on your dress while we're watching the movie? Two hours would probably give me enough time to finish the rough draft. I work extra hard on the exterior."

"Yes, Stella, I know. And that's fine. I'm just really thankful I bought you that new sewing machine yesterday. It's the one that doesn't make as much noise as any others."

"And you saved me so much money! I was probably going to end up buying a new sewing machine anyway. If I got my old one fixed, the price is higher than the price of a new one. So, thanks, Macy. You're the best."

"I know," Macy winked. She took the Mean Girls DVD and set it up on Stella's TV. Stella got into her working corner and made sure she was able to view the TV from that position. Once they were all comfy, they started the movie. They ate pizza along the way, and at some point in the movie, Mrs. Malone knew the girls too well and brought them up some popcorn.

The movie ended around ten p.m. Stella was correct with her prediction and let Macy try on the item of clothing, just to see if her measurements were correct and it fit her perfectly.

"It's supposed to be a bit loose right now, but it's going to get tighter as I sew on the ruffles and sparkles," Stella explained, as she examined Macy in the incomplete dress.

"Whoa, _sparkles_?" Macy gulped. She didn't mind dressing all girly, but when it came to sparkles, she draws the line there. But Stella knew Macy couldn't say no to her, which is exactly why she did it.

"You know you can never say 'no' to me at this kind of stuff, Macy," Stella said sweetly.

"I know, it's true," Macy gave in. "But not too much, I don't want everyone to be staring at me."

"But that's the whole point! You're never at dances, and even if this is a masked dance, people should know that Macy Misa is there!"

"They're not going to know it's me. I want you to work real hard on those masks just so they cover my identity completely."

"I'll try my best, master."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I know I'm always welcome, Stella."

"No duh."

Stella worked on the dress a few more times the clock struck twelve. They got in bed at eleven and purposely missed 11:11. They weren't the types to wish on that. They didn't wish on stars either. Mostly they wish in fountains.

Stella didn't have a guest room, an extra bed, or at least a sleeping bag, but luckily, her bed was big enough for the both of them. It wasn't awkward for them, they were best friends, let's not forget. The same thing happens at Macy's. They both have the same sized bed.

Macy talked about JONAS for a bit as Stella texted. Macy didn't mind that Stella was texting, because she knew she was listening to her. How? Well, for one, she was always answering correctly to what Macy had just gushed over. Macy's surprised at how Stella could still focus on what she's saying to the person on the other phone. But that's only because she can't clearly see what Stella's texting, she was too busy talking about JONAS.

They got to sleep a few minutes before midnight. They knew they should have slept earlier; tomorrow's going to be a _long_ day. Macy didn't want to go to the Lucas home. She didn't want to see Joe, even if he told her straight up that he doesn't have a problem with her. Or so she thought.

* * *

Yeah, I'm not going into much detail of Macy's dress until the dance.

Today's Valentine's and I don't want much, I just want your review. Nope, not chocolate, not a card, no flowers. Just your review. (Unless you want to send me virtual chocolate, that's fine too. As long as you leave it in your review. HAHA, that rhymes!) Yup, it doesn't even cost a dime! It's the thought that counts, right?

Happy Valentine's Day!

-Trisha.


	6. Chapter Six

Ohmygod. It's been like five months since I last updated. I'm really sorry. I really don't have an excuse for this, so just feel free to hunt me down. But before you do, let me just tell you the updates will come more frequently since it's summer now and I'm off school for two months. And if you spot any mistakes, it's because I didn't reread it since I was eager to put this up and satisfy you all.

Don't forget to review, love!

**Masquerade**

Chapter Six

The next morning, Macy woke up at 7 a.m. She sat up on Stella's bed and turned to the sleeping blonde. There was a downside to sleepovers. Macy hated sleeping over at someone's house and waking up _ages_ before the other person. Luckily, Macy was no stranger to this house and decided to quietly head downstairs to see if any of the Malone family were up. She went to the kitchen and found Mrs. Malone making coffee.

"Good morning Mrs. Malone," Macy weakly said.

"Good morning, dear," Mrs. Malone turned to the tired brunette. "Is Stella up yet?"

"Not yet."

"Okay, then you can have a seat and I'll get you some breakfast," Mrs. Malone offered. Macy took a seat at the kitchen island. "Would you like some coffee, Macy?"

"No, thank you," Macy politely replied. "I'll just have orange juice instead."

"Suit yourself," Mrs. Malone shrugged. "It's in the fridge, right on the very first row."

Macy got herself a glass and made her way to the fridge. She poured the orange juice in her glass before returning to her seat at the island.

As the bacon began to sizzle in the pan and the aroma of French toast and bagel filled the air, Stella was suddenly in their presence and sat beside her best friend.

"Should've known," Macy shook her head in amusement. "Stella loves bacon."

"Yup," Stella nodded proudly.

"That's why I'm making bacon today, it was the only way to wake her up," Mrs. Malone said.

"Mom, I love how you know me so well," Stella answered with a grin.

"You're my daughter, after all."

After eating the most important meal of the day, the two best friends realized that they should be on their way to the Lucas home. The girls got ready, and then took Stella's car to the brothers' house. Macy was wearing sweats and an oversized t-shirt, her hair pulled back into a messy bun. Stella was wearing designer skinny jeans and a fitted plaid top, while her hair was curled perfectly.

Kevin answered the door and led the girls upstairs. Macy was not surprised to see the only Nick was there. There was no sign of Joe at all. He's dealing with a problem—_his_ problem, not Macy's.

"Where's Joe?" Stella questioned, her eyes scanning the room.

"Oh, he's at the park with Frankie," Nick answered, putting down a pen and notebook he was holding.

"Really? They went this early in the morning?" Stella shook her head.

"Yeah, I know," agreed Kevin. "And I reminded him that you two were coming today."

"Well then, if he doesn't show up, I'm not making him a suit," Stella shrugged.

"So, what now?" Macy asked.

"I guess we can wait for fifteen minutes," Stella sighed. She sat in Joe's recliner and Macy sat in Kevin's.

Nick once again had the notebook and pen in his hands. Stella was watching the Fashion Channel on television. Kevin was busy polishing the guitars in his collection. Macy was daydreaming.

When Macy returned to reality minutes later, she took a quick glance at the words etched on the paper which Nick was writing on. Curious, she decided to ask the curly haired boy what the song was about. It was pretty obvious he was writing a song.

"Actually, Joe came up with the idea. He wrote the verses. I'm working on the chorus now and Kevin will do the bridge later."

Macy was somewhat annoyed by the fact that Nick didn't just answer the question. But she appreciated it that he gave details.

"It's about a girl that a boy is infatuated with. He's falling so hard for her that… Well, it's kind of like poison ivy.

"Poison ivy?" She repeated.

"Yes. He's so head over heels that it drives him to the point where he doesn't want to like her anymore. You see, when you touch poison ivy, you get that itch and it's driving you crazy. You know you shouldn't be scratching it, but you can't resist. It's like how the guy doesn't want to love her, but he can't help himself." He showed Macy the unfinished song.

"You know, it'd be cool if you used a metaphor in the song," Macy suggested. "You can use that poison ivy metaphor you just explained."

"Macy, that's a brilliant idea!" Nick took back the notebook and with his pen, crossed out the current chorus of the song. He then jotted down words that rushed in his mind. He showed Macy the unfinished song once again.

"Everyone's allergic to poison ivy. Everyone's allergic to poison ivy," Macy read aloud. "Everybody gets the itch, everybody hates that. Everyone's allergic to poison ivy." She paused and read over the words.

"Look, it's been fifteen minutes and they're still not here," Kevin spoke up. "Can we start now?"

"It doesn't bother me," Stella replied. "I'm going to be here all day anyway. But Kevin, if you want, I can start with you right now."

"Do me as well," Nick requested.

"Yeah, sure. I'm your stylist, it's my job."

Stella measured the boys as Macy wrote down the measurements in the blonde's notebook. Afterwards, Stella began to sketch designs; Nick and Kevin suggested what they want their suit to look like. During this time, Macy was watching Celebrity TV.

When the stylist was down the rough draft of the clothing, the group decided to eat. They slid down the fire poles two by two and walked to the kitchen. Macy took a quick glance at the big wall clock behind the poles and saw that it was noon. Perfect timing.

Just when Nick finished making fettuccine alfredo for everyone, there was a knock on the door. The stylist voluntarily answered it. Joe and Frankie finally decided to come home.

"I wanted to stay at the park but Frankie got hungry," Joe announced as he sat beside Stella, completely ignoring Macy. Macy felt like she wasn't welcome to sit at the kitchen island, so she moved to the kitchen table, sitting beside Frankie. Frankie liked Macy. She was like a big sister to him. He was more attached to her than he was attached to Stella. Frankie only spent more time with the brunette because she was athletic and he enjoyed sports. Whenever he asked Stella if she wanted to play basketball or soccer with him, she'd make up excuses like, "I don't want to break my nails," or "I don't have proper shoes." What ever the case, she's too much of a girl.

Nick passed everyone plates with his infamous fettuccine on it. They started to eat the delicious lunch and commented how good it was. Nick was flattered. When they all were finished eating, he decided to treat everyone with dessert. He made ice cream sundaes. When they finished that, they cleaned up before going back upstairs.

Stella measured Joe and Macy wrote the numbers down. Right as Macy wrote the second measurement; Frankie approached her and asked, "Macy, do you want to play basketball with me? Tryouts for the team are next week and my brothers won't practice with me."

Macy hesitantly looked at Stella, who nodded approvingly and replied, "Go ahead, Macy, I'll get Nick to help me, Kevin's busy tuning all his guitars." Nick suddenly appeared beside Macy and she gave him the items that were in her hands.

Frankie hugged the girl, "You're the best!" His brothers all cleared their throats, but Frankie ignored them.

"Thanks, Frankie," Macy ruffled the young boy's hair. They pulled apart from the hug and she followed him to his bedroom to get the basketball.

The pair headed to the backyard, where the basketball court was. Frankie stood at the three point line holding the ball, facing Macy, who was standing at half court.

"Let's start with your defense," Macy instructed, taking down her messy bun, replacing it with a perfect pony tail. "Pass the ball." Frankie did what he was told.

-x-

"Are you sure your problem doesn't involve Macy?" Nick questioned. "She told us that you told her she's not a part of your problem whatsoever." Nick put down the guitar he was strumming. "She thinks you're lying to her."

"Would Joe ever lie?" Stella tried defending her best friend. She had her sketchbook, finishing the rough draft of Joe's suit.

"Sometimes," Kevin shrugged. He was working on the bridge of the song which Nick was working on earlier.

"Yes, but that's only to you guys," Joe said matter-of-factly. "Other than that, I don't lie."

"Somehow I feel like you're lying right now," Nick eyed his older brother suspiciously.

"Can we just get past this?"

"Yeah. Lay off, will ya? This isn't your problem," Stella said.

"Anyway, I'm almost done the bridge," Kevin announced proudly.

"Oh, you read my note?" Joe didn't talk to his brothers when he woke up that morning. Well, he talked to Frankie, but not the other two. Instead, before leaving for the park, he left them a note explaining the new song he was writing.

"Yes, we did," Nick replied. "I already finished the chorus."

"Alright, it's done!" Kevin smiled. "This was the best song idea you've ever had, Joseph!"

"Thanks," Joe replied.

"But you might want to change the verses," Kevin suggested. He gave the song to the middle brother.

Joe read the chorus and bridge.

"The metaphor Nick used was Macy's idea," Stella smiled proudly. She shouldn't have brought that up.

Joe's face fell, "Macy?" His tone of voice was hateful. He threw the notebook on the table in front of the recliners.

"Hey now, I thought you said you have no problem with Macy," Nick reminded him.

"I don't!" Joe retorted.

"Then what's with your tone of voice?" Stella questioned.

"What about it?"

"You're being rude, Joseph," Kevin said flatly. It was the truth. And he had a right to know.

"Okay, fine, I just think she's kind of annoying. Always fan girling and stuff," Joe shrugged.

"Joseph," Stella began sternly. "If you haven't noticed, she's calmed down from when she first met you. She's gotten used to the idea that her favorite band is her friends. She's not _obsessed_. She's just really into you guys. Not just because you're famous, but she's gotten to know you better. You have to give her more credit than that."

"Y'know, I knew this day would come, a JONAS hating me for no apparent reason. I just didn't think it'd come so soon," Macy stood in the doorway. "It's fine, I always knew it would be you. I'll just stop bothering you and your brothers then." Then she disappeared. Everyone stared in awe. They hadn't noticed she was there.

Frankie walked in, with the basketball in hand.

"Why did Macy just run out of the house?" Frankie questioned.

"Because your brother's a jerk," Stella replied.

"Hey!" Joe protested. "Aren't I your best friend?"

"Not necessarily at this moment," Stella answered dryly.

"Joe, why do you always have to be like that? I don't like it one bit, and I'm sure Macy doesn't appreciate it either," Frankie said angrily.

"I have to go see if she's okay," Stella got up and rushed out the door, getting her things along the way. She didn't have the time to slide down the poles.

"I'm going with her," Frankie announced, "It's like I'm the only brother that cares."

"Hey, we care!" Nick and Kevin shot back.

"But you don't care enough to go check up on her," Frankie retorted and followed Stella out the door.

-x-

Macy was strong, even though she hurt inside knowing that a JONAS hates her, she didn't cry. She ran out of the Lucas home and ran back to her house without stopping. Cross country and track and field has done her well. She locked herself in her room, not knowing what else to do. Sure, it may sound ridiculous that she's crying over some guy. But all she's ever wanted was to be really good friends with him. Sure, she's probably in love with him, but he didn't even seem to care, like, he'd still be nice to her even though he knew. People change.

"I should give up JONAS for good," sniffed Macy. She's tried that once before, but then the brothers started attending her school and that backfired.

She was lucky her parents weren't home; she could escape her room, still crying and do whatever without her parents on her back asking why tears were rushing down her face.

"I don't know what I did wrong," she sighed to herself, sitting at her piano. She started to play a song on the piano. A song that seemed to make her troubles go away every time she listened to it.

The song was _River Flows In You_ by _Yiruma_. It was very calm, serene and peaceful. She blocked out the world and played more songs she loved to play. None of them were by JONAS.

Her cell phone started to vibrate on the piano. She picked it up and checked the caller ID. _Nick Lucas_. She didn't answer it. She wanted to be alone, and even Nick or Kevin saying they're sorry for their stubborn brother's actions wouldn't help her feel better.

Macy was being too hard on herself. She knew she didn't do anything to him, but yet, here she is, punishing herself. Maybe she cared too much about him? Even if the feeling isn't mutual.

She put her phone down and continued to play the instrument. Music really did help her get through the day.

Macy decided she was going to avoid the brothers when she goes back to school. She can't stand it anymore. She'd try to avoid Stella as well, but that would not work. Stella was her _sister_. It just bothered her how close Stella was with the brothers. One thing Macy was sure of, she wasn't sitting with them at lunch. She'd probably sit at a table alone, or just skip lunch altogether. It wouldn't be good for her health, but she could just have a really heavy breakfast.

She started thinking second thoughts about attending the dance. She wasn't sure she could do this anymore. Not right now, at least. She knew she'd disappoint Stella, but she can't force her to go.

Suddenly, the door bell rang. Macy sighed and got up from the piano. She made her way to the window to check who it is. She took a deep breath. She went to the door and opened it. It was Frankie and Stella.

"Hi, Macy," Frankie greeted.

"We've got something that will cheer you up," Stella smiled.


	7. Chapter Seven

Wow, it's only been five days since I last updated. Aha, so I didn't get many reviews for the last chapter. Maybe because you guys are ignoring me for not updating so long. HAHA. But yeah, I think I'm developing new readers because of the emails I've been getting that say that someone has added this story to their story alerts and stuff. So yeah, if you could just leave a review on your way out, I'll be motivated to update faster! Enjoy. :D

P.S. I once again didn't read this over so don't mind the mistakes.

**Masquerade**

Chapter Seven

"What is it?" Macy questioned.

Stella held up a gift bag full of tissue paper. She continued to smile.

Macy motioned for the two to come in. They entered the living room. Frankie and Stella sat on either sides of Macy.

"Open it," Frankie urged her.

Macy looked at Frankie, then Stella, then at the gift bag in front of her. Her eyes seemed suspicious, but she was also curious to what it could be. It could be anything. There was only one way to find out. Open it!

She opened the bag and discarded the tissue paper inside it until she reached to the bottom, revealing this surprise. Macy just stared in the bag, not knowing what to say. She was speechless, and appreciated it, but she very much so didn't want anything to do with it.

"This is amazing, Stella, but I can't wear this," Macy sighed. "To be honest, I'm rethinking about going to the dance."

"But why?" Stella's face fell. "All our hard work, gone to waste."

"I know! I helped with this amazing dress," Frankie chimed in.

"It really is amazing," Macy took the dress out from the bag and examined it in front of her. It's exactly the dress she had pictured in her mind. Stella Malone is a miracle worker.

"Go try it on!" Stella pushed me off the couch. Not wanting to disappoint, I went up to my room with the dress and tried it on. Stella and Frankie rushed into my room. They brought me to my full length mirror and stood behind me.

"It looks beautiful on you," Stella's eyes sparkled. She had done it again.

"I know, too bad I'm not going to the dance," Macy told her.

"It's a shame this dress would be put to waste, though," Frankie thought aloud. "And not just anyone can wear this."

Macy stared at herself in the mirror. She's having even more thoughts about going to dance. Make up your mind already.

"I know what you guys are doing," Macy said.

"Yeah, but you shouldn't just _not_ go to the dance because of Joe, he's an idiot," Stella reassured her.

"I know, but I don't have a date anyway," Macy tried to reason with Stella.

"Do not forget, Macy, there are no dates for this dance, so there's no reason you shouldn't be attending," Stella pointed out.

"That's true," Frankie agreed. "My brothers have been talking about this dance for the past few days."

"Right now, Frankie, you are my favorite brother," Macy announced and gave him a hug.

"Thank you," Frankie grinned. "And you look beautiful in that dress. You have no reason not to attend the dance."

"Yes, Macy, listen to the boy," Stella encouraged. "People are _begging_ to see you in that dress, you were made for it! Well, actually, the dress was _made_ for _you_, but you get the point."

"Fine, for you guys, I'll go," Macy gave in.

"Good!" Stella and Frankie answered in unison.

"I wish I could go to the dance with you two," Frankie sighed. Isn't he just the cutest thing?

"You're nine, Frankie, you'll have a chance to go to dances when you enter high school," Stella assured him, ruffling his curly hair.

Macy glanced at herself in the mirror again. She did look beautiful in that dress.

"Go change out of that dress, Macy, we're going out," Stella suddenly said. "We're going to the mall. You need to forget about what happened at the Lucas house earlier."

"Alright."

Macy pushed the two out of her room and quickly got changed into the decent clothes she was wearing before. She grabbed her wallet and cell phone and stuffed it in the pockets of her sweatpants. She headed downstairs into the living room and saw the pair watching television.

"'Kay, I'm ready," Macy smiled.

They headed out the door and entered Stella's car. Macy obviously locked her house doors first, though.

Stella drove, while Macy was in the passenger seat and Frankie sat in the back seat.

They got to the mall in a matter of fifteen minutes. The trio got out of the car and walked towards the mall's entrance. Once they were in the coolness of the air conditioning, they hit up some clothing stores first. They had a small shopping spree, and even bought Frankie some clothes as well.

"Can we go to Game Stop?" Frankie requested.

"Okay, and then we can go to the food court to get something to eat," Macy replied.

They went to the second floor of the mall, where they knew Game Stop was. The girls let Frankie look for video games while they were in Forever 21 right beside Game Stop.

When Frankie had finished with the games, he found the girls outside the store sitting on a bench, possibly gossiping.

"You bought a game?" Stella gestured to the shopping bag in Frankie's hands.

"Yup," He answered.

"With whose money?"

"Mine. Well, actually Kevin's, he gave me money," Frankie explained.

"Alright then," Macy said, "let's go get something to eat."

They took the escalator to get to the first floor, where the food court was.

"Uh, what do you guys want to eat? I'll buy," Stella offered, as the three sat at a vacant table in the middle of the food court. "Oh, you want to go to Taco Bell?"

"I can't go to Taco Bell," Macy said, "I'm on an all carb diet. God, Stella, you're so stupid!"

"Aha, Mean Girls moment," Frankie stated.

"Yup," Stella agreed, "but seriously, what do you guys want?"

"Um, would you like McDonald's?" Macy questioned the curly haired little boy.

"Sure," He smiled.

"Okay, so what would you like?" Stella asked.

"I'll have a double cheeseburger without pickles," Macy answered.

"And I'll have a Big Mac," Frankie replied.

"Alright, and I'll just get a regular cheeseburger," Stella said. "And drinks are two Cokes and one iced tea?"

"Yup," Macy and Frankie nodded. The two Cokes were for Macy and Frankie, while the iced tea was for Stella.

Stella left the table and stood in line at McDonald's, leaving the other two to talk.

"I know my brother's a jerk," Frankie told Macy. "But there's a reason for it."

"What's the reason?" Macy asked curiously.

"I can't really tell you, I overheard him on the phone with Stella the other day. Let's just say, he's acting like a jerk on purpose not to hurt you, but protect you."

"Protect me from what? It seems like he's purposely hurting me for his pleasure."

"Oh, Macy, only if you knew his side of the story…"

"But tell me, Frankie, what is he protecting me from?"

"Himself."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't say much. I already told you a lot."

"Okay."

"And to be honest, he was never a jerk, until this week."

"Well what's so special this week?"

"I don't know, but it probably has something to do with the masquerade."

"Don't lie to me, I know that you know."

"Okay?"

"But I'm just saying, I didn't do anything to him, so why should he be acting this way towards me?"

"Actually, yes, you did do something to him."

"But what? I've been nothing but a nice fan girl since the day I met him and your brothers."

"Well I know that, but," Frankie paused and grunted. "Ugh, you don't get it."

"Why don't I get it?"

"Like I said, you don't know the whole story. He's not a bad guy; I'm telling you the truth."

"I know he's not a bad guy, but the way he's acting gives that message across."

"I'll talk to him, and get this straight. But I can't promise that I'll tell you."

"Alright, fine."

Silence followed for a few moments until Stella got back with a tray of food. She sad down at the table and distributed the food each person specifically wanted. Same with the drinks.

"Well, let's talk about the dance for a while," Stella suggested, munching on her cheeseburger.

"Well, I still really want to go," Frankie said, sipping from his Coke.

"Stella told you, you'll get to go to dances when you're older," Macy reminded him.

"I know, but still."

"Stella," Macy began, "are we car pooling?"

"Mhm," Stella answered, "my brother will be driving us. I mean, I can't drive us to the dance. That's just… weird."

"Haha, at least you can drive," Macy replied. "I still don't have my license. Only my permit."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I had to take three road tests before I passed," Stella confessed.

"I know that, you already told me," Macy smiled at her best friend's honesty. "But yeah, I've never took a road test yet, so I'll probably take it a week after the dance."

"Well, good luck to you and hopefully you'll get it on your first try," Stella smiled back.

"Thanks, maybe you could help me with my driving sometime," Macy suggested. They were best friends, weren't they?

They continued to converse and finish their food. When they were done, they threw away their garbage, walked around the mall some more before heading home.

They went to the Lucas home to drop Frankie off first. Stella and Frankie got out of the car and went into the fire house. Macy, on the other hand, decided to stay in the car and look over her receipts from the clothes and other items she bought that day.

Stella took about fifteen minutes in the house before she exited the firehouse and entered her car once again.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow?" Stella asked as she started the engine and went on the road on the way to Macy's house.

"No, probably just going to finish up on some homework, why?" Macy replied.

"I was going to have a movie marathon, but since you have homework, I'll postpone it to next week."

-x-

"Honestly, Joseph, you had to be _that_ rude?" Nick yelled at his older brother.

"I didn't know she was there!" Joe defended himself.

"Oh, so you talk about people behind their backs?" Nick reckoned.

"No, but—" Joe tried to explain.

"But what?" Nick interrupted.

"Ugh, I can't explain it," Joe said. "And I don't think you'd understand anyway."

"Well, what Kevin and I understand right now is that you hate Macy for no apparent reason," Nick answered.

"Hey! I have a reason," Joe defended himself.

"Oh, so you _do_ hate Macy," Nick said.

"You don't get it!" Joe yelled.

"Joe, stop yelling," Nick advised calmly.

"I can't stand you right now, Joseph," Kevin said.

"Can't stand me? Then sit down," Joe retorted.

Kevin went down a fire pole and probably got something to eat. He couldn't handle his brother right now.

"Look, Joseph, you need to control yourself," Nick said calmly.

"I know," Joe sighed. "I need to be totally honest right now."

"That'd be nice. I'd like to know why you're so mean to Macy. I mean, you don't usually act like this around her. You usually enjoy her presence."

"I have a huge confession to make."

"Go on…"


	8. Chapter Eight

Hello again, love. I'm starting to keep to my word now, aren't I? But yeah, I rush to the dance in this chapter, seeing as the _real_ story starts here. Again, don't mind the mistakes, I didn't bother re-reading this either. There's the downside to me updating faster, more mistakes. But still, enjoy!

**Masquerade**

Chapter Eight

It was Monday, and Macy mostly kept to herself. Stella understood. Macy needed to be alone, and so Stella just stayed with the boys the whole day. And besides, Stella had dance committee to attend to.

After school, Macy walked home and hoped she wouldn't bump into Kevin or Nick. She happened to be seeing them walking more often. She was lucky, for Joe took the car to school, and the brothers drove home. The car passed by Macy, and she didn't seem to notice.

Once Macy got home, she changed into her pajamas already, knowing she wouldn't be going out. She went downstairs to have a quick snack. She brought a bag of chips and a glass of orange juice with her to the living room. She set the food and drink down on the coffee table and sat on the couch. She messily arranged her hair into a side ponytail. Then she reached for the TV remote, turning the television on. Macy checked the time; she realized her favorite show, _Pretty Little Liars_, was on.

"Wow," Macy commented, stuffing her mouth with potato chips. "This 'A' is starting to freak me out. I'm _so_ glad this isn't happening to me."

When her show was done, she cleaned up after herself and headed up to her room. Her parents weren't home yet, so she decided to do some homework.

Macy started with her math homework, then her History. And then English. For her English homework, she had to write an article about the people or person who has inspired her, which was not in her family or related to her in any way. So of course she chose to write about JONAS. She focused on her article. It wasn't hard for her to write, since she writes JONAS articles everyday on her fan site. After finishing her paper, she read it over twice, correcting the errors she had made. It amazed her how much the boys impacted her life, and how inspiring they truly are. I mean, how many teen rock stars do you know actually _go_ to a regular high school and be treated like normal people?

Macy smiled at her laptop, and hooked her printer up to her laptop. She fixed the paper's formatting before she printed it out. To be honest, this article was assigned last week and was due tomorrow, but she didn't know how to start it. Luckily, it all came to her, writing it then and there. Hopefully it doesn't show too much that she did it the night before it was due.

"Macy! Dinner!" Macy's Mom called from the dining room. She hadn't even noticed her parents got home.

The brunette put her article in a protector before putting it in her binder. She then went downstairs to eat.

After eating dinner, Macy made her way back up to her room, and decided to take another look at the dress Stella had made her. Macy made it clear to herself that she was attending the masquerade. That was it; she's made up her mind. She'd hate to admit it, but Frankie and Stella are right. The dress was _perfect_ on her petite body. Stella Malone was a genius.

After looking at the dress and giving it some thought, Macy remembered about the matching mask. And as if on cue, Macy's smart phone vibrated. She'd received a text. She picked her phone up from her bedside table and went through the received text.

_Remember how I gave you the dress the other day? Well, the mask is going well so far, and it'll probably be done by Friday night. So I'll just give it to you the day of the dance. –Stella._

"It's like she read my mind," Macy thought aloud. "It's freaky."

The week went by fairly quickly, and Macy didn't seem to mind. For once, she was actually somewhat excited for the dance. It was her first one since freshman year. It was Saturday, and Macy was rather eager for that night to arrive. She sat impatiently in her room, on her laptop. She kept glancing at the Stella original spread across her bed. Macy couldn't wait to see how the mask turned out.

Macy searched for hairstyles on the internet, trying to figure out what she's going to do to her hair for the masquerade. She already had one in mind, and she'd experimented with it the day before. She decided she was going to curl her hair completely. She usually only curled her hair loosely.

Next, Macy searched for make up tutorials. She decided she'd go with a more natural look, since her dress is eye catching enough. Besides, you won't really be able to see her face when the mask is covering it.

When it was 4:00 p.m. Macy started to get ready. First, she did her hair. She thoroughly brushed through her hair. Then she made a left part in her hair, and then applied anti-frizz serum. She heated up her half inch curling iron and once it was hot enough, she curled her hair completely. Applying hairspray was the finishing touch. Macy smiled in the mirror and put all her hair stuff away so she didn't have to deal with it later.

Macy began on the makeup. She first applied concealer all over her face to create a very pale, even look. Then she took copper colored eye shadow and applied it to her eyelids. Macy put silver eyeliner around her eye, just outside of the lashes. Then she put black eyeliner thick on her upper lid. She applied a very thin black line to half her lower lid above the lashes. She took a fair amount of blush and applied it to her cheeks, just below the cheekbone. For the finishing touch, she applied red-hued lip gloss. Macy once again smiled at herself in the mirror.

She realized it was already fifteen minutes until 5:00, so she hurried and put on her dress. She raided her closet until she found a pair of her red high heels. She put them on and walked to her full length mirror. She smiled at herself once again. She had very high expectations of this dance. Since she goes rarely, she wants to make the best of it, even if a certain rock star happened to be there.

-x-

Stella prepared herself and left her house early with her brother, so she could check up on the Lucas boys before she headed to Macy's house.

"How long are you going to be in there?" Stella's older brother, Trevor, asked.

"I'll probably only take ten minutes," Stella replied. "I just want to see how the boys look in their suits."

"Okay, I'll just stay in the car."

"Okay."

Stella got out of the car and carefully walked to the door of the Lucas home. She knocked impatiently.

The door opened seconds after. Frankie had opened it. He led her inside to reveal his three older brothers, fixing themselves up in their suits.

Stella sighed, "I am a genius."

"We know that!" Kevin, Joe and Nick agreed. Frankie nodded.

"Are you guys doing okay with the suits?" Stella questioned.

"Yup, perfect fit," The three said in perfect unison.

"Alright then, I'll see you guys at the dance," Stella reached for the door, but then swiftly turned around to face the boys again. "Oh, but before I forget, here are the masks." Stella handed each of them a clear bag with their names on it. "So yeah, bye."

Stella rushed out the door and climbed back into her brother's car. They proceeded to go to Macy's house. Macy was probably already waiting for the blonde.

When they arrived at her house, Stella put on her mask and adjusted it a bit.

"Trevor, are you coming with me? This might take a while," Stella stated.

"Alright, and besides, I haven't seen Macy in a while," Trevor answered. Sure, Macy was just at the Malone house the other weekend, but Trevor was on an overnight school trip to New York.

The two exited the car and walked to the door of the house. Stella knocked and they both waited. Macy answered the door soon after and let the siblings in.

"Wow, Macy, you look great. The dress my sister made definitely compliments you," Trevor commented before giving Macy a friendly hug.

"Thanks. Your sister is a genius. You don't look so bad yourself. Where are you going dressed around all fancy?" Macy replied.

"Well, I am driving you two to your masquerade, I should look this good," Trevor pointed out. "And after I drop you off I'm going to a dance myself." Even though Trevor was only two years older than Stella and Macy, he was a senior in high school, but did not attend Horace Mantis. He went to a different high school not too far from Horace Mantis.

"Wait, but you are returning to pick us up, right?" Stella made sure.

"Yes, don't worry about it," Trevor smiled. "I'm leaving the dance early so I could pick you up. I don't mind, honest. Don't worry about it; this isn't prom, so I have no issue of skipping the last half hour or so."

"You're the best big brother ever," Stella wrapped her arms around her older brother.

"Aw, sibling love!" Macy gushed.

"Okay, anyway," Stella's voice trailed off as soon as she parted the hug with Trevor. They all sat on the couch. "Macy, here's the mask. I just finished it this morning." She stretched out her arm with a bag on it, similar to the one she had given the Lucases.

"Stella, firstly, did you get any sleep last night?" Macy asked.

"Of course!" Stella retorted. "That's why I finished it this morning, _duh_."

"Okay then," Macy reached for the bag in Stella's hand. She carefully dug the mask out of the bag and gasped. "Oh my gosh, Stella, this is incredible!"

"I know right!" Stella squealed, evidently proud of herself. "I'm surprised with how it turned out as well! Put it on!"

Macy smiled and put on the mask carefully, making sure it didn't damage her hair. She turned to Stella and Trevor.

"Stand up," advised Trevor, "let's see the complete outfit."

Macy did what she was told. She stood up and walked in front of them.

"You look gorgeous, Macy," Stella complimented.

"Yup, you look beautiful," Trevor agreed. Macy didn't really think much of it when Trevor said that. Macy thought of him as the 'brother she's never had.'

"Oh my gosh, Macy, sweetie, you look incredible!" Macy's mom had walked in the room and hugged her daughter.

"Thank you, Mom," Macy thanked her mom after released from the hug. "Stella made the dress."

"Stella, you're incredible," Mrs. Misa complimented.

"Thank you, Mrs. Misa."

"Oh, and Trevor, I haven't seen you in a while, how are you doing?" Mrs. Misa noticed Trevor sitting beside Stella.

"I'm doing fine, thank you," Trevor smiled.

"Are you kids leaving now?" Mrs. Misa asked.

"The dance doesn't start until 6," Stella began, "but since I was on the dance committee, I have to make sure everything is in place."

"Okay, but before you go, can I take pictures? You all look stunning," Mrs. Misa offered.

The three nodded. Trevor and Stella stood next to Macy as Mrs. Misa got out Macy's SLR camera. She took a couple of shots of all three, even though Trevor isn't necessarily going to the same dance. Then some shots of Macy and Stella. Then Stella and Trevor. Then Trevor and Macy. And finally, Mrs. Misa took a couple of pictures of each of them solo. After the photo op, they were on their way to the dance.

Macy and Stella entered the school and made their way into the gymnasium. Macy complimented at how the gym looked. It looked mysterious, as masquerades were supposed to be. The lights weren't bright, to add to the mysterious effect. There were sparkling stars everywhere, and it seemed like you were out in the moonlight, despite the fact that was only almost 6:00 p.m. There were already teachers and other students on the dance committee. The teachers were setting up games the students can play and win prizes later on. The live band that the school hired was doing sound check on a stage the dance committee had built. The two offered to help out with trying out the games. But unfortunately, they didn't get any prizes.

When the girls were done trying the games, that's when people started to rush in. Lots of students went with groups, since no dates were required. The Lucas boys also entered the dance, but most of the people didn't really recognize them. Hm, maybe Stella's masks are way too good.

The dance began and the band started to play. Stella stuck with Macy most of the time, since they can't really tell who is who. They danced during a really fast and fun song.

"This is an awesome song!" Stella yelled at Macy, to which she replied with a nod.

Macy and Stella got tired at one point, and sat at a table and had some punch. They would try to talk to each other, but with the music playing really loud, they didn't bother trying harder.

-x-

"Forget Macy for now," Nick told Joe, before they entered back into the gym to dance. They had exited the gym and stood in the hall for a bit. Even though they were rock stars and were used to the loud music, they still got tired of it every now and then.

"Yeah," Kevin agreed. Joe had also told Kevin about his problem with Macy. "Just go out there and have fun."

"But I can't forget about Macy," Joe sighed. "I'd go dance with her, but I wouldn't be able to tell who she is. Stupid masquerade theme."

"Go dance with someone else," Nick suggested. "Anyone random will do. You won't even know who they are."

"And besides, Macy hates you anyway," Kevin said. Way to make Joe feel better.

"She hates me?" Joe panicked.

"Well, we're pretty sure she does since you're being mean to her," Nick pointed out.

"But I already told you why!" Joe retorted.

-x-

Stella whispered in Macy's ear, "I'm going to dance with someone, will you be okay here?"

"Yeah," Macy said in Stella's ear. That way, they wouldn't have to keep yelling at each other over the music. "I'll probably dance with someone, too. That is, if I find anyone or somebody asks."

"Alright, good luck."

Stella headed to the dance floor, searching for a partner to dance with.

Macy sighed and rested her chin on her hand, which was resting on the table she was sitting at. She started to regret attending the dance. She knew she should have just stayed home. She could have just had a movie marathon by herself. But no, she had to be stubborn and come to the dance.

"Want to dance?" A boy offered. Macy looked up at him, trying to figure out his identity.

"Pardon?" Macy almost yelled. She hadn't heard the boy quite clearly.

"Do you want to dance?" The boy repeated. Macy was sure he didn't know her identity either. But hey, she wanted to have fun.

Macy nodded, instead of wasting her breath. She stood up and followed the boy into the dance floor. She figured she wasn't going to waste her time with him, just trying to figure out who he was. And she figured he was thinking the same.

They danced and danced. Macy couldn't believe how great this turned out for her. By this time, she regrets regretting coming to this dance. Confusing.

Stella, who was dancing with someone, realized the eye-catching red dress on the dance floor. And she noticed the boy in a custom made suit. A smile appeared on her face.

* * *

K, like I said, the _real_ story starts now. Excited? I know I am!

How was it? Leave a review please with your thoughts. I love hearing from you!

Remember: reviews = love.

-Trisha.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Masquerade**

Chapter Nine

Stella excused herself from her partner, and made her way to Nick and Kevin, who were currently sitting at a table. She sat at the table with them, and just had to tell her what she saw.

"You will never guess what just happened," Stella announced.

"Joe's dancing with some girl and is forgetting about Macy," Kevin casually answered. Joe had eventually told him as well about all this Macy drama.

"What are you talking about?" Stella replied, confused. "That _is_ Macy!"

"No way!" Nick's eyes widened as he looked in the direction of the dancing couple. "She looks _amazing_."

"I know!" Stella agreed.

"Well this isn't going to help Joe with his problem, is it?" Kevin stated.

"No, not at all," Nick answered. "But Stella, does he know it's Macy?"

"I doubt it," Stella shrugged. "He probably only asked her to dance because she was the only available girl who wasn't on the dance floor. Well, that's my theory, anyway."

"So what are we going to do about this?" Kevin questioned.

A smirk crept on Stella's face and reckoned, "Oh, absolutely _nothing_."

"Why?" The two brothers asked.

"Joe told us to back off from this, it's _his_ problem. Let him deal with it," Stella replied. "And maybe you guys should also go out and dance. There are some girls that just came in, probably finished taking a break or something. Go have fun." She didn't wait for a reply; she got up and searched for the boy she had been dancing with before.

"Oh, that girl looks about my age," Nick's eyes lit up.

"Her friend looks like mine!" Kevin chimed in.

The two got up and approached the girls at the door and asked them to dance. Fortunately, they said yes. The two couples hit up the dance floor and danced with the remainder of the slow, peaceful song. Actually, these two couples ended up dancing for the remainder of the dance.

-x-

Macy was having the time of her life. She hadn't realized how much fun she could have at some silly school dance. She was so free, so careless. So careless, that she didn't even care who she was dancing with. Maybe it was for the best. They talked as they danced freely. They talked about their favorite type of music all the way to what animal they'd like to be. They got to know each other, but they weren't expecting to meet again in the future. Maybe they do already know each other, just passing by in the halls and all that.

The slow song ended and a fast, upbeat song started. She and her partner separated from each other, dancing all crazy. Macy laughed at her partner's insane dance moves. But somehow, those dance moves seemed so familiar. It almost reminded her of Joe. No, Macy, that's not Joe, and you shouldn't be thinking about him. She smiled as they danced underneath the dim lights and the spinning disco ball.

Nothing was going ruin her night.

"You're an incredible dancer," Macy joked loudly, knowing they wouldn't be able to hear each other with just their regular voices.

"Why, thank you," the boy yelled back.

Macy probably could have recognized the boy's voice, but with the music blasting, she was surprised she even made the words out. Least to say, she just read his lips.

Another slow song blasted in the gym and the two got into position.

"Thanks for keeping me company," Macy replied. She was lucky this boy could also read lips because she was talking normally.

"No problem," The boy answered. He was talking normally, too, now. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

"Me? Beautiful?" Macy scoffed. "Please, if you knew who I really was…"

"Then tell me who you are, take off the mask," The boy suggested.

"No, thanks."

"Okay fine, since I don't know who you are, and you don't know me, I guess I can trust you with something really personal."

"Okay, but why the sudden honesty?"

"It's just something that's been on my mind lately and I can't stop thinking about it—_her_."

"Ooh, I get it," Macy smiled. "You like a girl."

"Yes, I do," He chuckled softly. "But I'm an idiot."

"Why are you an idiot, stranger?"

"Truth is, anonymous, I thought what I was doing was smart. But it's stupid. I'm pushing the girl away, just 'cause I know I fall too fast and I might break her heart too quickly. Now I don't know what to do. I feel I chose the wrong decision."

"Can't you just fix it?" Macy was really interested in this topic, but much to her dismay, the song ended. She was surprised when the band played another slow song. Maybe it's that time of the night. They play a couple of slow songs in a row and then the rest will all be upbeat and crazy. And then the dance ends. "Get closer to her again."

"She already thinks I'm a jerk, so what's the point? I think I should just move on."

"But if you really like this girl, you should go for it."

"But like I said, I fall too fast. Tomorrow, I might be over her for good."

"You don't know that. If you're willing to go back to her, she will probably be willing to give you a second chance. Not like you're dating or anything."

"Maybe you're right. But right here, right now, I think I'm over her."

"Oh, don't tell me you like me now."

"What if I do?"

"You don't know me."

"But I know your personality. You're the type of girl that I like. I feel that I like you better than the other girl I was talking about. You remind me of her, but way better."

"You'll realize you don't like me, and you like the other girl. Believe me, I know, because like I said, _you don't know me_."

"Then _tell_ me who you are," He insisted. "I want to know."

"Get this in your thick skull: _you don't like me, you like her_."

All Macy was saying was true. She just got to know this boy tonight, and she doesn't even have a crush on him. But why did he suddenly develop one on her? Right when he was talking about liking some other chick.

The boy sighed, "I'm sorry for taking things way too fast. You don't know me either, so I kind of get what you're saying. But forget this; I don't want to end the night badly with you. If you remember this night or not, I still want to make a good impression. It doesn't matter to me if we talk again in the future, knowing who we both are."

Macy nodded and the two continued to dance for the rest of the night.

-x-

"I can't believe the dance is over already," Macy pouted as she and Stella got into Trevor's car.

"I know," Stella agreed. "You had fun, didn't you?"

"Yes!" Macy confessed. "I can't believe I've been missing out on dances like these."

Trevor looked at the rearview mirror and smiled at his passengers before turning on the engine and driving in the direction of Macy's home.

"The guy that I danced with is _amazing_," Macy gushed.

"Really? Ya don't say," Stella smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I do say," Macy nodded. "He told me not to tell anyone something but since we both don't know who he is and you're my trustworthy best friend, I guess I could tell you."

"Alright. What about?"

"He explained to me how he liked this girl but he was pushing her away, because he knows he falls hard way too fast. And then suddenly, he told me he liked me. I was like, whoa, that's kind awkward. I insisted he didn't like me, and so that conversation ended."

_If you only knew, Macy, _Stella thought.

"Oh, really? You're probably right, though, that he doesn't like you. No offence, Macy, but you know how some guys are. They like a new girl every week. You just have to find the one who will be with you no matter what. Even if it's just for a few months."

"None taken," Macy smiled. "And I know."

-x-

Once the Lucas brothers got back to their firehouse, Joe has been acting rather nice. Well, yes, he only started being a jerk like a week ago, but the people around him already got used to that, and were surprised to see how nice he was acting once again.

"If Joe only knew," Nick sighed. Kevin nodded in agreement.

"Uh, what's up with Joe?" Frankie approached his brothers at Nick's area of the room.

"I don't know," Kevin shrugged. The two didn't know that Frankie knew what was going on with Joe and his 'problem.'

Frankie retorted, "You guys are no help." He marched over to Joe, who was lying in his bed, still in his suit.

"Joe, what's going on?" Frankie asked.

"Going on with what?" Joe sat up.

"You're acting like yourself again," Frankie stared.

"Shouldn't that be a good thing?"

"I guess… But seriously, what happened?"

"Brother, I think I'm over Macy," Joe stated. Frankie kept to his word and actually asked Joe about everything a few days ago.

"What? Why?"

"I met a girl on the dance floor tonight. She was graceful, flawless, and beautiful in every way," Joe stared into space. He was really in a good mood.

"Do you even know who she is?"

"No, but I'm determined to find out!"

"What was she wearing?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I just want to know."

"If you _have_ to know, this lovely lady was in a red flow dress that looked like it was custom made and designed _especially_ for her. It hugged her curves in all the right places. She was _gorgeous_."

"How tall was she?"

"Well, she probably reaches up to my chin, but since she was wearing heels, she was probably as tall as Stella."

"Alright then," Frankie said with a smile on his face. He knew _exactly_ who his mystery girl was. And he was excited about it. He couldn't wait until he talked to Macy again. She needed to know. Frankie went to his room, Joe not noticing, still probably stunned by that girl he was with.

-x-

The next day, Frankie got his parents to drop him off at Stella's house. Frankie and Stella were planning to go to Macy's. You could say that Frankie was closer to the girls than the other three brothers were. It's all thanks to Joe.

"I'm telling Macy that it was Joe," Frankie announced right when Stella opened the door to the visitor.

"What? You can't!" protested Stella, letting the boy in. They walked into the living room and sat on the couch.

"Why not?"

"Because this isn't our problem," Stella began. "This is Joe's problem, and I'm sure Macy's fine with not knowing who her partner was last night. And first of all, how did you know about this?"

"Joe was acting like himself again, and in love," Frankie replied.

"_In love_?" Stella repeated.

"Yes. He explained to me how he met some girl on the dance floor. I asked him to describe what she was wearing for me, and it's exactly what Macy wore."

"Alright. But still. You _can't _tell Macy. You _can't_ tell Joe either. Let them figure it out for themselves. Besides, we don't know how Joe would react if he found out it was her. He'd probably be in love twice as much. So Frankie, just keep your mouth shut, please."

"Fine, I will. But how can I help it? I personally think Joe and Macy would look good together," Frankie stated.

"So do I," agreed Stella.

"You're not jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?"

"Don't you like Joe?"

"Frankie, we're _just friends_. We both know we had feelings for each other. But hey, we've both moved on. Besides, I can't really imagine myself dating my best friend. And trust me, even though I've known Joe longer, _Macy_ has a massive crush and you know, she knows _everything_ about him."

"Did I tell you that Joe liked Macy ever since they met?"

"No, but he did tell me that himself when I talked to him on the phone the other time."

"Yeah, so apparently, Joe isn't falling too fast."

"True, he's liked her for a long time; he's just finally realizing he _really_ likes her."


	10. Chapter Ten

Oops… Sorry for not updating at all this month… I went on vacation for a week and wrote two pages during that time. When I came back, I was determined to finish this chapter, but ended up just adding piece by piece every few days. I had writer's block, and I had no idea what I wanted to happen in this chapter, but right now, at 1:22 am EST, I finished this. I got hit by inspiration, but I had no idea where it had come from. Anyways, enjoy and don't forget to leave a review on the way out!

**Masquerade**

Chapter Ten

"Where's Frankie? I need to talk to him." Joe approached Nick at his drum set slash bed. Nick was just sitting on his bed, reading a teen magazine. Surprising, right? He liked to read the articles about JONAS. You never know if they're writing a bad article about them. Y'know, _lies_.

"Uh, I think Mom and Dad just dropped him off at Stella's before going to the meeting for our record label. I'm surprised they didn't need us for that meeting today. But anyway, what did you want to talk to our youngest brother about?" Nick answered, peeking from the teen magazine.

"Well, I was just going to rant to him, since I'm sure he's not listening and doesn't care anyway," Joe somewhat lied. He wanted to ask him about the mystery girl from last night. Frankie asked all those questions that Joe's sure that Frankie knows something.

"You can rant to me," Nick offered with a sudden suspicious smile on his face, putting down the teen magazine he was reading. "I don't care and I won't listen!"

"That's the thing, Nick, I _know_ you don't care, but I _know_ you're listening. You want to butt in my love life," Joe sighed. He sat at the edge of the floor, his feet dangling in Nick's bed. Nick had a bed in ground. It's a good thing he's feeling like himself again, right?

"Ooh, your _love life_?" Nick repeated. "I didn't know you had one."

"Ha ha," Joe fake laughed. "Very funny. But seriously. I told you about Macy, so I _obviously_ have a love life."

"Speaking of Macy," Nick's voice trailed off. "Are you over her?"

"Hm?"

"Oh, it's just that I saw you dancing with some other girl at the dance last night and it seems like you two really hit it off. And then I know you move on from a girl really quickly if you meet someone else you're really interested in."

"Well, I don't know," Joe sighed, sitting beside his brother on his brother's bed. "It depends, to be honest. If I ever find out whom the mystery girl is—ugh, never mind. Love is confusing."

"Go on, Joseph," Nick encouraged his older brother to release his feelings to him. Yes, Joe was right, he did want to know about Joe's love life, but he wasn't going to tell anyone other than Kevin. And maybe Stella. He would tell Frankie too, but Nick now knows that Joe tells Frankie anyway so there would be no point in that.

"Well, let's start with Macy."

"Wait, so what are we talking about now?"

"Um, it's pretty relevant in your voice that you want me to tell you about everything, so I might as well explain to you my feelings for both girls. And maybe I'll figure out who I like more."

"Alright, so, just keep talking. I'm positive you have a lot to say so I won't interrupt. I'll only answer if you ask me to."

"Y'know what, Nick? You can be really nice to me when you want to."

"I'm just being nice because I've missed this you. 'Cause you know, after the Macy incident, you've been a jerk, and yeah."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Joe apologized. "Love can make us do crazy things, eh?"

"I hear that. Remember what happened with Penny?" Nick reminisced and shuddered at the same time.

"I found that funny," Joe chuckled. "But all the songs you wrote with her name in it are pretty good, actually. I would have said 'the songs you wrote _for_ her', but we all know you only wrote Give Love a Try _for_ her. You didn't even use her name in it. But yeah, we should use all the other songs and take her name out. They'd be instant hits!"

"Eh, well I kind of think those are pretty embarrassing, but maybe in the future," Nick shrugged. "But this isn't about me right now; this is about _you _and your girl problems _for once_."

"Alright, alright."

There was a pause.

"Well? What do you feel for Macy?" Nick urged him to speak up. It seemed to him as if Joe couldn't find the words to say.

"I don't know anymore, to tell you the truth. I think my plan worked."

"What plan?"

"My plan to stop liking her. You know, just avoid her."

"But still, what did you feel when you did like her?"

"I guess I felt the same way you did when you were falling fast and hard for Penny," Joe shrugged. "Just that, I wasn't falling fast. I've liked her for a long time and—you already know _that_ story."

"Okay, I told you, this isn't about _me_, it's about _you._"

"I know, but just for an example," Joe pointed out. "I knew I liked Macy from the start. The way she was crazy about me—"

"I know this is about you and all, but there's no need to be conceited. And she was crazy about _you_? Boy, she was crazy about all of us."

"Hey, I thought you said you were just going to listen to me go on and on about my problem?" Joe reminded his younger curly haired brother.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Nick apologized, after realizing his mistake.

"I'll be honest; it kind of scared me in the beginning how _obsessed_ she was about _us_. I mean, I liked her, being a fan and all, but—ugh, I still don't know how to explain this all. But the important thing is, I don't like her anymore so I can just move on. For now I want to find out who the mystery girl is. Macy is better off without me."

"You're lying to yourself, Joseph," Nick stated. "You're not over Macy, are you?"

"Not even a little," Joe sighed. "But still, I like mystery girl also. I want to know who she is."

"How are you going to find that out?"

"I could like, announce it to the school or something," Joe shrugged. "And I could like, ask them questions about that night."

"But if you did that, almost the whole girl population at school will be in line," Nick pointed out. "You are a famous rock star, after all."

"True, but only that one girl will know the correct answers to my questions," Joe replied.

"That's also true. What kind of questions will you ask? Tell me, and I could write them down for you." Suddenly, Nick had a piece of paper in hand with a pen. He put the paper on the floor, the floor being higher than his bed.

"Um, I'd ask her what she was wearing that night," Joe began, as Nick wrote down the question. "Then I'd ask what she called me and what I called her back."

"Uh, what was she wearing? What did she call you? And what did she say?" Nick questioned. "I'm also going to write the answers down so it's easier for me."

"A red flow custom made dress. And a matching gold mask. Her shoes were two or three inch open toed heels," Joe answered. "She called me 'stranger,' I called her 'anonymous.'"

"Alright, just keep thinking about the questions and the answers to them," Nick advised, "and I'll be sure to write them down. I'm determined to help you find out who she is."

"Okay."

-x-

"Macy!" Stella greeted in a sing-song voice. She and Frankie entered Macy's unlocked house. The two were looking for her.

"How'd you get in?" Macy questioned.

"Door was open," Frankie answered.

"Right... I guess I forgot to lock it when my parents left this morning," Macy shrugged. "So, what brings you here?"

"Just to hang out," Stella said. "And Frankie just wanted to come along. He wants our bond to build."

"Aw, how cute," Macy said in a high pitched voice and pinched Frankie's cheeks. "Let's go upstairs to my room, unless you wanted to go out or something."

"Well, we can go to your room for now, and if we think of anything, we can go out later," Stella suggested. Frankie and Macy nodded. The trio went upstairs in direction of Macy's room. Once they were inside, they all sat on the bed.

"So about last night…" Stella's voice trailed off. Frankie eyed her with excitement. He wanted to see where this would take them.

"What about last night?" Macy asked, reaching for her iPhone on her bedside table. Once it was in her hands, she decided to tweet. She tweeted, '_Chilling in my room on a Sunday with StellaMFashion and FrankieLucasOfficial.'_ Yes, the other two had Twitter accounts as well.

"Do you want to find out who this mystery dude is?" Stella continued.

"I guess, but it wouldn't really matter to me anyway. I have no interest in boys right now," Macy replied honestly and carelessly, putting her phone back on its place on the bedside table, right beside her beloved framed picture of her with JONAS, Frankie and Stella. She stood in between Joe and Frankie, as Stella was beside Kevin and Nick.

"Are you sure?" Frankie raised an eyebrow, trying to make things more interesting. "What about Joseph?"

"No, we are not getting into that, Frankie," Macy pointed her finger at him.

"Hey! Finger pointing is not nice!" Stella pointed out. "But seriously, do you want to find out who the guy was? I bet there's a small piece inside you wanting to know."

"That's true, Stell," Macy agreed, "but a bigger piece of me doesn't want to know. I couldn't care less if I find him or not. I just had fun, that's what's important to me from last night. Oh, and by the way, when's the next dance? I'm totally attending again."

"You're not answering my question!" Stella's voice was bit louder than before. Her voice returned to regular volume, "I'm not sure, but I'll still be on dance committee! And great! I'm totally making your dress again."

"Ladies," Frankie cleared his throat. He really did want to mess with Joe and Macy, but with specific orders, he knew he couldn't.

"Well, yeah, I guess I do want to know," Macy shrugged. "But after I find him, I probably wouldn't talk to him or anything. It was just a one time deal."

Stella and Frankie turned to each other and flashed a knowing smile. Macy happened to notice this and raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know something I don't?" Macy asked suspiciously. She was sure they knew something, but she didn't think too much of it. She knew they'd come around and eventually tell her.

"Of course not!" Frankie denied. "But we can help you find your mystery dude. Trust us, it won't be that hard." Frankie said that last part under his breath.

"No! I don't want to," that was Macy's final answer. "I know I'm going to regret saying this, but I want Joseph!" _If only she knew_.

"See, I knew you weren't over him just yet," Frankie smirked. "He's not over you either." Once again, Frankie said that second part under his breath. Stella smiled because she heard. Frankie was lucky Macy didn't.

"Shut up, Frankie," Macy shot him a look.

"Come on, Macy, we both know you still like him," Stella told her.

"But I want to get over him so bad!"

"Then this is why you should find that other boy."

"That's not going to help," Frankie let out a small laugh. Stella elbowed him to make him stop.

"No, I swear I'm okay," Macy reassured them. "But if Joseph happens to come around, I wouldn't say no for an answer."

"Too bad he's over you," Frankie announced. Stella mentally gave him thumbs up.

"Then I don't really care anymore. I can still like him, I mean, I run his band's official fan site."

The three continued to talk as Macy tried to change the subject. At one point, they decided to go out for frozen yogurt at a store nearby. Right after that, they went straight to the park and hogged the swings their whole time there. They went back to Macy's and watched a movie. Unfortunately, though, after the movie, Stella and Frankie had to leave. Stella drove Frankie back to his house.

"Frankie, you really need to learn how to keep your mouth shut," Stella stated.

"I shouldn't be the one to blame; _you're_ the one messing with her!" Frankie retorted. "Macy and Joe can get together themselves. We don't have to set it up."

"I know that, but their bond has been getting weak ever since that plan Joe put into action to stop liking Macy. I still doubt that plan worked."

"It didn't," Frankie answered, "but dancing with that mystery girl made him get over Macy."

"But the mystery girl _is_ Macy," Stella said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, which makes it stupid," Frankie said. "Joe moved on from Macy, to Macy. Joe's the one who _really_ needs to know who that girl is. It's going to make him feel really idiotic."

"Well, whatever, I'm not messing with Macy anymore, if that's what you want," Stella announced. "But _you_, _you_ and your brothers have to get Joe to find out who the mystery girl is. It's the only way!"

"I'm okay with that, but you and Macy will be involved sometime in the process."

"Make up your mind, dude! First you don't want me to mess with her, and now you want me to!"

"No, it's nothing big. It's just a small role. I'll call you later after I talk with Joseph. He's been opening up to me lately, and I'm taking advantage of that."

"Okay, good."

Stella pulled up into the driveway of the Lucas home. Frankie got out of the car, thanking her and saying bye, before walking to the front door of his house and entering it. Stella then reversed out of the driveway and returned home as well. She did a lot of thinking when she was in her house and in her room. Macy was her best friend, and she wanted her to find out who the guy was, without interfering. Funny, though, because by Stella making a plan, she _is_ interfering. But she'll just have to leave it up to Frankie and the brothers. They know Joe is probably determined to know who the girl is.

Stella wanted the best for her two best friends. Joe and Macy seemed like a cute couple. Joe's ridiculousness balances out with Macy and her bubbly personality. All in all, they'd be a really fun couple. They could be the ones always making jokes, always laughing and living life to the fullest. They could brighten up anyone's day just by saying hi, or even being in the same room as them. Their personalities would just be so powerful together. Of course there would be seriousness every once in a while, but that would be good too, knowing they really do care about each other. The thought of these two being together made Stella grin from ear to ear. She was not jealous at all. But she just wanted them to happy, even if that meant planning a scheme that would get these two together, so be it. Joseph Adam Lucas and Macy Gale Misa needed to be together. She knows she'll be a part of whatever Frankie and his brothers are planning, and she was proud. She wanted to be involved in the coming of these two. _They are just too adorable_.


End file.
